Southern Comfort
by JiffyKate
Summary: Bella is a photojournalist from NYC and is wanting a change of pace. Edward is a southern playboy looking for a good time. Will they find what they need in each other? Who are we kidding? You know the story. We're just telling it with a southern spin.
1. Baby Got Back

**Disclaimer: **We don't own Twilight, but we love fantasizing about the characters. We also do not own Baby Got Back, but love rapping to it during a drunken night of karaoke.

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_I sigh as I feel his breath ghost across my nipples, making them pebble. He twirls his tongue around one and gently takes it into his mouth, licking and sucking. Finally, he nips it with his teeth, sending shivers down my body. I grip the sheets at my side, looking for something to anchor me, as he moves to my other breast._

_My body is on fire for him, needing him like I've never needed anyone before. His hot mouth moves slowly down my body, and I am panting and grabbing onto his hair. My hips move on their own accord, guiding his mouth to where I am aching for him. I lick my lips in anticipation and wait as he moves closer..._

_His breath blazes on my center, and as I gasp, he looks up. He is looking directly into my eyes and all I see is green. Deep, emerald green that turns my world upside down and suddenly, I am surrounded by trees. Leaves and foliage in every shade of green are swirling above my head, moving so fast I feel as if I am in Wonderland and falling down a rabbit hole._

My eyes pop open and, for a moment, I am disoriented. I slowly begin to recognize my bedroom and I become more awake. I also notice that I am wet, not just from the amazing dream I was having, but from the blankets wrapped tightly around my body making me sweat.

The sun is shining through my bedroom windows and I realize I have overslept a bit, but I don't feel rested.

As I untangle my legs from my sheet, I hear Sir Mix-a-Lot rapping from my phone about liking "big butts". I automatically smile, knowing it's my best friend and wannabe gangster calling.

In typical Alice fashion, she doesn't even wait for me to say 'hello'.

"Bella, are you packed yet? Your flight leaves in 4 hours! Get your shit together, I mean it! Pack lightly but make sure you bring sunscreen and bug spray. And, please, don't forget your deodorant because it's hotter than 40 hells down here! I've been sweating like a 2 dollar whore in church since I moved!"

"Um, who the hell is this and what have you done with my best friend?"

"This is no time for jokes, Bella Swan! Besides, I think the southern heat is frying my brain. I've been in Birmingham for a month and I'm already talking like a redneck! Are you out of bed yet?"

"Yes, Alice, I am out of bed and mostly packed. I'll call you when I land in Baton Rouge, ok?"

"Ok, Bella. Be safe. And can you remember to have some fun while you're down here? Please?"

"I'll try," I say, as I hang up and let out a deep breath. _Can_ I have fun? It seems like it has been so long since I've had any kind of fun or excitement in my life. I used to enjoy spending time with my boyfriend but for the past few months, life with Jake has been less than thrilling.

In the 2 years we have been together, we have gone from hot and heavy to cold and boring. Scratch that. We were never "hot and heavy." We were only lukewarm at best. Our social calendar was always full as we took advantage of living in Manhattan. But, now, we never go out and, let's just say, our bedroom antics leave much to be desired.

I know I should probably break up with Jake but I don't want to hurt him. He is a good guy and I know he cares for me, but I am starting to think we are better off as friends.

I go into my bathroom and start packing my toiletries, making sure to grab my deodorant first. I can't believe I'll be spending the next week in the south. Not just the south, but the _deep_ south. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to be exact. I am looking forward to a different type of scenery and getting away from my life for a while.

Not only am I avoiding the breakup conversation I need to have with Jake, I am also still reeling from the news of my parents' impending divorce. I've always heard that it is difficult for a young child when their parents divorce, but I believe it is even harder to be an adult and learn that your parents have been miserable during most of their marriage and have only stayed together for your benefit. I was devastated to learn my mom and dad have both been unhappy for so many years, but when I think back and realize the happy memories from my life are nothing but lies, I get really pissed off.

Family vacations, Christmas cards, get-togethers...all the times where we appeared to be the happy little family...they were all lies.

I'm still so angry about the divorce that I haven't spoken to either of my parents in weeks, but I'm sure I'll be hearing from at least one of them soon. Renee, especially, will freak out when she finds out I've left the state without telling her. Even though I am a confident, self-sufficient, 26 year old woman, they still feel the need to keep tabs on me.

When Alice called from her new job as a photo editor for Southern Living magazine and offered me an opportunity to leave the city for a week to do some freelance work as a photojournalist, I couldn't say no...I feel the need to get away from this city, the lame excuse I have for a relationship, and my lying divorce-getting parents as quickly as possible.

I grab my purse, my camera bag, and my brightly colored Britto suitcase and lock up my apartment. As I hail a cab to take me to the airport, I realize I am starting to bubble with excitement. I just hope this trip isn't a waste of my time.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Jenny Kate: **Well, Jiff. We did it.

**Jiff:** Yep, now what? Do you think anyone will read it?

**Jenny Kate: allthingsHHH** and** Smitten_RPattz** have already read it...so, that's two. I think I'll go today and refill my prescription of Prozac. *breathes into paper bag*

**JIff: **Don't forget that my hubby has read it, too, and we have his approval, especially after our teasing lemon in this chapter! I hope the readers aren't too pissed about cockblocking at the very beginning. Maybe we should promise them complete lemons in the chapters to cum...I mean, come.

**Jenny Kate:** We can't promise a lemon in the very next chapter to cum...I mean, come...but they will cum. Doesn't everybody love a slow burn?

**Jiff: **Well, you know, we are a little slow here in the south but that doesn't mean we're stupid. We should make sure everyone understands that we are from the south and we don't mean to insult anyone (Southerners OR Damn Yankees, I mean Northerners) but we are trying to be as realistic as we can, based on our experiences.

**Jenny Kate:** Maybe if we promise another update on Wednesday they'll come back?

**Jiff:** Let's try it and see! *fingers crossed*

**Thanks to our betas/pre-readers, allthingsHHH (fanfic sensei) and Smitten_RPattz. **


	2. Sweet Home Louisiana

**Disclaimer: We do not own Twilight or a Britto suitcase, but we're glad Bella does. Don't you hate searching for your luggage? PITA! We also do not own the Twilight characters, but we love playing with them. We're goin' down south, y'all! There's a Cajun glossary in the A/Ns for those of you who are like "WTH?"**

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When I step off the plane in Baton Rouge, I feel lighter. I don't know if it's the change in altitude...or latitude...or longitude or whatever, but somehow I don't feel as weighed down as I did six hours ago.

As I'm standing in baggage claim, waiting on my luggage, a sign with the word "Swan" catches my eye. That can't be for me.

Why would a guy in a suit be standing there holding a sign with my name on it?

Finally, the carousel starts moving and I see my luggage making its' way around. I'm always glad I splurged on a little bit of expensive luggage when I'm traveling. It saves me from checking every plain black suitcase that comes by.

Turning around to find my way out of the airport, I notice that the gentleman with the sign has moved a little closer and appears to be giving me the once over. I give him my best bitch-face, just in case he's an axe murderer or something. You can never be too careful these days. Have you watched 60 Minutes lately?

He hesitantly asks, "Ms. Swan?"

"Who wants to know?"

He nervously puts down the sign. "I apologize, Miss. I'm Tyler Crowley. Are you Isabella Swan?"

"Bella."

"Well, alrighty then, Bella...Mrs. Cullen sent me to pick you up." He gives me a wide-mouth, toothy grin.

"If there is one thing I'm good at, it's hailing taxis and finding my way around." Turning sharply on my heel, I make my way toward the exit, with my suitcase in tow.

"Sure." Tyler calls after me. "You can take a taxi from here to French Settlement..._if _you can find one to take you that far. This ain't New York, Darlin'."

No, it is not, Darlin'. Did he really just call me 'darlin'?

"Ok, Tyler? Was it?" He nods. "Lead the way," I say and motion toward the exit.

Passing through the automatic doors, I immediately feel the humidity. Alice had warned me, but this is definitely something you have to feel yourself to understand. The air is heavy and I'm extremely grateful for the thin cotton sundress I chose to wear this morning.

The drive to French Settlement is leisurely. It's like no one is in a hurry. Tyler makes small talk and takes his time maneuvering the roads. There is very little traffic and, even within the city limits of Baton Rouge, it is significantly quieter than what I am used to. There aren't any horns blaring or people yelling.

I try to decide if it's refreshing or unnerving. I almost don't know what to do with the drop in population, subdued surroundings, and rise in temperature.

I think I'm leaning toward refreshing.

Making our way out of the city, the landscape changes to a two-lane highway with thick mossy trees on each side...only the occasional break for a sizeable house or two. As I sit back in the passenger seat and enjoy the view, I'm reminded of green...and wanting...and I feel my body melt into the seat.

I don't remember dozing off, but am currently aware of a gentle nudge and a "Miss Bella" coming from my right. A soft warm breeze hits me, along with the smell of lilac...and something woodsy...I can't quite place it. Opening my eyes to the shaded afternoon sun, I look up at Tyler, who is holding the door open for me. "Rise and shine, sleepy head." I wonder when we became so buddy-buddy.

"I must have jet lag."

"Maybe you're tired from all that talkin' you do in your sleep."

"I do no such thing."

"Someone has a penchant for things that are green. That's all I'm gonna say." He holds up his hands, as if in surrender.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

He raises his eyebrows, twists his mouth a bit and smiles. I step out of the car and brush past him. I think about shoulder-checking him, but try to remember to mind my manners...this is the south, after all...and as they say, "when in Rome!"

Sliding my sunglasses to the top of my head, I get my first glimpse of the house.

The Cullen Plantation is everything you would imagine a plantation to be. It's substantial, statuesque, and looks as though it could speak to you...telling a million stories. I look back down the narrow road we must have driven in on and notice that the trees lining each side are some of the tallest I've ever seen, but they curve and have movement. They make an archway over the road, leading all the way up to the house, if that's what you can call this place. It's only two stories, but has windows as far as you can see and a grandiose wrap around porch that is the picture of hospitality.

I can definitely understand why Southern Living would want me to come all the way down here and do a piece on this place. I can't believe it hasn't already been done. I mean, this is the kind of thing the magazine is built on. I can practically hear my camera calling my name. The possibilities are endless.

Tyler breaks me out of my reverie. "She's a beauty, huh?"

"What? Oh, yes. It is really a beautiful place."

"Just wait 'til you see out back. Mrs. Cullen has quite the green thumb."

Walking up the steps, I realize where the lilac I smelled a minute ago was coming from. Each side of the stairs leading up to the front door is lined with lilac bushes that are in full bloom. There are also azalea bushes in a variety of colors and a few other flowering bushes peppered throughout that I don't recognize. I would say that it has great curb appeal...well, if it were near a main road...and had a curb.

"How long have you worked for the Cullens?"

"Oh, for about the last five years. Known them all my life though. My momma and Mrs. C have been friends since they were knee high to a grasshopper."

The porch is lined with wicker chairs and small tables, perfect for sitting and having conversation.

Tyler walks in the front door, without knocking or any sort of announcement.

Just as we step into the foyer, I hear something I'm a little more familiar with...a very loud, somewhat angry voice coming from another room close by. It even sounds as though the woman is speaking in another language. Now this is more like home.

"What do you mean, you only have a 65-pound pig for me? I have a hundred people comin' over next weekend for Edward's birthday, including your family, Mike Welch, so you know damn well, we're gonna need a 90-pounder, at least! What kind of _cochon de lait_ do you think I'm gonna have? Certainly not a half-assed one, I assure you!"

My eyes grow wide as I take in the beautiful woman screaming nonsense into the phone, while Tyler just shakes his head and laughs.

The woman continues. "Mmm-hmm. Yes, well, I guess we will just have to have two pigs to roast to make sure we have enough!" She pauses. "Yes, Mike, two 65-pound pigs should be fine. Be sure to tell your daddy I said thank-you for finding another pig for us on such short notice." She rolls her eyes and I giggle at her sarcasm.

She hangs up with a huff and turns to Tyler. "I swear, that Welch family gives me the _choux rouge_!" I give Tyler a confused look, not understanding what just came out of this woman's mouth. "Oh, um, Mrs. C is just a little upset right now."

"Tyler Crowley, I am NOT 'a little upset', I'm pissed off!" The fiery, Cajun woman finally turns completely around and finds me standing in the room. "Oh, Good Lord! Where are my manners? I'm usually not so rude! Please, forgive me!"

Tyler tries to stifle a laugh, but Esme hears him and swats at his arm. "Shut up, Tyler! I mean, I'm not usually so rude, when I have guests all the way from New York in my house. I try to wait until I know them a little better before I let them see me get too fired up!" She laughs as she says this and I am suddenly pulled into a tight hug that I didn't think was possible from such a tiny woman.

"You must be Miss Swan. My name is Esme Cullen and I am simply thrilled that you are here!"

After I recover from her bone-shattering hug, I formally introduce myself.

"Hello, Mrs. Cullen. I'm Isabella Swan, but you can call me Bella."

"Well, in that case, you need to call me Esme, because my husband's mama was Mrs. Cullen and she's been dead for 10 years now! Tyler, would you please fetch Bella's things and bring them inside?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I'll be right back, " Tyler says as he walks out of the side door.

A boisterous voice comes from the foyer, "Hey, Maw...where y'at?"

"Kitchen, Emmett! And please use your manners! We have company!" She shouts back at him.

A tall boyishly-handsome man walks into the kitchen. Emmett, I presume. He's cute. No, he's adorable. He has large dimples on both sides of his pearly white grin and his eyes kind of sparkle. His messy hair is short and light brown with streaks of blonde, the kind you only get from being in the sun.

We still haven't made eye contact as he continues his way into the monstrous kitchen, where everyone seems to gather. I let my mind drift a bit and wonder if this is how it always is...everyone gravitating toward the kitchen. I definitely want to capture that for the article, so I mentally start making a checklist of photographs I'll need to take.

Emmett clears the kitchen in a few large steps and covers Esme's small frame in a hug and he kisses her cheek.

Esme turns to me. "You gotta watch this one...he's _canaille_!" She winks at Emmett.

"And who we have here?"

"Manners, Emmett."

He clears his throat and gives me a smirk. "Hello, I'm Emmett Cullen," he says with a forced level of properness.

"Bella...Swan." I reach over to shake his hand. "I'm here to do a piece on the plantation for Southern Living Magazine."

"Yes, and she'll be staying here with us...so, I'll expect you boys to be on your best behavior for the next week!" Esme chimes in.

As Esme turns back around, Emmett rolls his eyes. "I'm a grown ass man, Maw! You don't have to remind me about manners and shit."

"Language, Emmett!"

Emmett throws open the door of the refrigerator. "Well, since we got the _pleasantries_ out of the way, what's for dinner? I got the _faiblesse_!"

I conclude right then that people need a passport to come down here.

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**Cajun glossary:**

**_cochon de lait _(coo shon du lay) - a get-together to roast a pig over an open pit; usually a large party**

**_choux rouge_ (choo rooge) - being agitated, aggravated, to have "the red ass"**

**_canaille _(ka niye) - mischievous, sneaky**

"**I got the _faiblesse"_ (fahbles) - I'm feeling weak or faint**

* * *

**A/N:**

**Jenny Kate: ** You know what gives me the choux rouge, Jiff?

**Jiff: ** What's that, Babycakes?

**Jenny Kate:** That you got lovin' tonight after the Thrusting DuRob videos and I didn't. I don't think it's good to have this much built up tension. That's not healthy, right?

**Jiff:** No, Honey, you gotta release the tension. Do you want to take a little break before we finish up here? I can wait... *grabs phone to watch Bel Ami clips again*

**Jenny Kate:** *pulls out Roberator from night stand...opens up laptop for the "big screen" version of Thrusting DuRob* I'll be right back.

**Jiff: ** Ok, while JK takes care of business...I'm dying to know what you all think? Don't you just love a smart-ass, foul-mouthed Esme? I know I do!

**Jenny Kate: ** Welp, that didn't take long. I was already moments away from instantaneous combustion.

**Jiff: ** Maybe we should _ease_ our readers into our TMI notes?

**Jenny Kate: ** OH, right...our readers. I almost forgot. Sorry. I'll be on my best behavior.

**Jiff:** And, speaking of our readers...we actually have readers!

**Jenny Kate: ** I KNOW! And we didn't even have to pay them!

**Jiff: ** We welcome you all to our story and to our crazy, little world. It's okay...we have cookies!

**Jenny Kate:** And Rob porn...don't forget about the Rob porn. That's always a selling point.

**Jiff:** Yes, that's pretty much a given!

**Jenny Kate:** We probably should wrap this shiz up. If you've made it this far, God bless you. Next chapter will be longer (twss) and will be posted on Saturday!

**Jiff:** Y'all come back now, ya hear!

*****Thanks to **allthingsHHH** and **Smitten_RPattz** for pre-reading! We love you hard!*****


	3. Pocketful of Sunshine

**Disclaimer: We do not own Twilight, but if we did, we'd invest in Hot Pockets. We do own a brand spankin' (*snorts* we said "spankin'") new Facebook and Twitter account, so be sure to follow us!**

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I am enthralled by Esme Cullen. She is a beautiful woman, with auburn hair that falls in waves past her shoulders. Her olive green eyes are kind and playful. She's petite and small framed, but her personality is larger than life. I can't take my eyes off of her.

As we walk toward the front of the house, I begin to tell her my plans.

"Mrs. Cullen, I mean, Esme. I intend on staying in a hotel this week. I only wanted to stop by and meet you before I start to work."

"Nonsense, Sugar! The closest hotel is in Baton Rouge. Besides, we have plenty of room and you'll be spending most of your time here anyway. You might as well sleep here, too!"

Tyler walks back into the foyer with my bags. "Miss Bella, you'll soon learn to just say 'Yes, Ma'am' and do what you're told, 'cuz here in the South...and especially here at the Cullen Plantation...if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!"

"Oh, go on, Tyler!" She says, as she swats at his arm. "You're gonna get this little lady scared of me. I'm not that bad!" Tyler just laughs as he walks out of the house. It seems odd to me how, for an employer and employee, they have such a casual relationship. I cannot imagine joking around with my old boss at the magazine like that...ever.

Esme grabs my camera bag and starts walking up the stairs. When I don't follow, she turns and smiles at me. "You comin'?"

"Oh! Yes, of course! I mean, yes, Ma'am, " I stammer as I grab the rest of my things and hurry to catch up to her. I suddenly feel like I need to learn some manners.

When we reach the top of the stairs, we turn to the left and walk down a long hallway. Esme points out pictures of relatives on the walls, as she leads me to the room where I'll be staying for the next week.

"Here's your room. Your bathroom is over there by the closet. Please, make yourself at home, and if you need anything at all, just ask. I really hope you love it here! Maybe you'll just wanna stay with us forever!" She laughs a bit as we walk into the room.

I don't have the heart to tell her that there is no way that will ever happen. So, I just smile.

"The boys' rooms are down the hall on the other side of the house. I'll make sure they don't get in your way while you're working."

After I unpack, I begin to feel more relaxed. I make my way downstairs and start looking around the house. As big as the outside of the house looks, the inside seems even bigger. The downstairs area is very open with a spacious family room in the center of the house. It has hardwood floors, dark walls and mostly white furniture. There are several large pieces of framed art on the walls and family pictures fill the mantle and shelves. Attached to the family room is a lovely dining room. It is large, but not pretentious. I can vividly imagine the room being filled with family, lots of delicoius food being passed around the table...and laughter.

A small twinge fills my chest, as I realize I have never had the chance to experience that with my own family.

I walk through a side door that swings into the enormous kitchen we had all been in earlier. The house may be an antique and historical, but nothing about this kitchen is old. There is a commercial grade Viking stove and several ovens set into the wall. The countertops are a beautiful granite and the cabinets are all custom made. Someone obviously knows what they are doing in here. I know right away that the readers will love getting a glimpse of this. I can't wait to get started!

As I make my way further into the kitchen, I hear Emmett's deep voice attempting to whisper. "I bet this is the first time someone from New York has ever stayed at the Cullen Plantation." He pauses. "Hey Dad, you think Mimi would be okay with a damn Yankee sleepin' here?"

A less boisterous male voice answers, "Emmett, your Mimi was very accepting of everyone, you know that. I better not hear of you being a jackass to our guest. You were raised better than that. Besides, this article for Southern Living is very important to your Mama, and if you mess it up, she's gonna beat you!"

"You better believe it, Boy", I hear Esme respond. "If you embarrass me, I will hit you on the head and tell God you died."

I try to stifle my laugh, but end up snorting instead, which makes it very clear that I have been eavesdropping on their conversation. Esme turns my way and gives me a huge grin.

"Here she is! Bella, I'd like you to meet my husband, Carlisle." She says proudly. "Not only is he the best lawyer in Southeast Louisiana, but he's also the most handsome!"

I look in the direction Esme points me to, and I am greeted by an incredibly handsome man with brown hair and a warm smile. His khaki pants and white polo shirt are casual, but neat, and the blush from his wife's comment makes his blue eyes sparkle.

Damn, are there not any ugly people in this family?

He holds his hand out and it takes me a moment to remember what the appropriate gesture is to that.

Hoping my internal monologue isn't showing on my face, I give a him a firm handshake. He seems pleasantly surprised. I can be professional when necessary. It's one of the good things I inherited from my father.

"Hello, Mr. Cullen. I'm Bella Swan. Thank you so much for opening your home to me."

"You are very welcome, but please, call me Carlisle. We just want to make sure you feel at home during your stay."

"Well, thank you. You have already been exceptional hosts."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Are we gonna eat any time soon? I'm so hungry I can feel my stomach sticking to my spine!" Emmett says, as he's munching on some chips.

I feel my stomach growl and realize it's been hours since I ate last. I wouldn't mind some food either. I have a feeling whatever I eat while I'm down here is going to be amazing. Alice always yaps endlessly about the "southern cuisine". I'm pretty sure she's given me an account of every meal she's eaten since she moved to Birmingham. She better be glad she has a high metabolism or she would look like an oompa loompa.

"I'm actually hungry too." I feel like I am imposing, but I can't help it.

"Maw, it's not polite to make the guests go hungry. Where'r your manners?" Emmett gives me a wink.

Gah, what a smart ass. I love him already.

"Emmett, why don't you take Bella into town and get her something to eat. You can introduce her to your brother while you're at it. Your daddy and I have some business to take care of this evenin', so we won't be home for supper."

I look at Esme. "Should I change?"

"Anything is appropriate for where y'all are goin'. Just wear what's comfortable, Darlin'."

I always feel dirty from flying, so I run upstairs and throw on a pair of jeans, a clean shirt, and my Chucks. After freshening up a bit, I head back down stairs.

Emmett is waiting for me by the front door. Normally, I would feel awkward going out to dinner with some guy I just met, but the Cullens already feel like old friends.

"So, where are we going to eat?"

"You like things that come in pockets?"

Well, this is an odd question. "Um, I guess?"

Emmett continues. "Ya know, little pieces of bread folded together that make a 'pocket'?" He does little air quotes.

"Oh, you mean like pita bread?"

"What the hell's a pita bread?"

Using his line from three seconds ago, "little pieces of bread folded together that make a 'pocket'." I mimic his air quotes.

Emmett lets out a frustrated breath. "Yeah, but these pockets are deep fried...and you can have anything you want in 'em..._gumbo_, red beans and rice, ham and cheese, barbeque, peanut butter and jelly, sloppy joes, shrimp _etouffee_, _boudin_...you name it! There's even a make yer own! We're kinda famous for our Gator Pocket. That's some good eatin'! Oh, and we got dessert pockets..."

Emmett's eyes sparkle even brighter as he's talking about the different "pockets" you can order. I assume he really loves food. Wait, did he just say "we"?

"Did you say 'we'?"

"Oh, yeah...uh, my brother, Edward, and I own the joint."

We pull into a gravel drive and there are at least a dozen cars in the parking lot. Seems to be quite a crowd for a small town like this. There is a large outdoor eating area with netting draping the sides. A loud jukebox is playing inside and filtering into the nighttime air. The building is rustic, to say the least, but that just adds to the ambiance.

As we walk inside, a girl with blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail greets us. She asks Emmett where he's been all night. Then she looks at me and says, "Welcome to Hot Pockets!"

When she walks away, I read the back of her shirt. It says, "Is that a gator in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"

Am I seriously in an eating establishment named after a microwaveable "sandwich"? My stomach growls again, as if to remind me that beggars can't be choosy. This better be good.

Emmett leads us to a corner booth and slaps a menu down in front of me. "Order anything you want. It's on the house."

I thoroughly examine the menu and eventually decide to go with the Pork Pocket. It has shredded cabbage, onions, pickles, and a house barbeque sauce. I also go ahead and order a Blackberry Cobbler Pocket with a side of vanilla ice cream. What? Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I don't like to eat. I think a place like this would kick you out for ordering a salad. Besides, I'm all about immersing myself in the local culture. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

"I'm going to make a quick trip to the ladies room."

"Just past the bar and to yer right." Emmett says pointing me in the right direction.

Sitting in the bathroom stall, I take a chance to read all of the _colorful_ messages on the walls. One note in particular catches my eye. "For a good time call Edward Cullen 225-867-5309." Well, isn't that interesting. I store that bit of information away for safe keeping. You just never know when you'll be in desperate need of a good time.

As I'm walking out of the bathroom, and not looking where I'm going, I run into the chipper blonde from earlier, who is carrying a large tray of food and drinks. By the time I see her, I don't have time to react. I try to keep everything from falling, but the next thing I know I'm flat on my back with a Hot Pocket stuck to my forehead. I try to sit up and assess the situation, but immediately put my head back down. It feels woosey.

"I'm so sorry. Are you ok?" I ask the waitress from my horizontal position.

She makes her way to her feet, shaking it off. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it...happens at least once a night. We're supposed to yell "corner" when we come outta the kitchen. So, it's technically my fault."

I start to sit up, when a pair of strong hands grip my arms and pull me into a sitting position.

"The better question is, are you alright?" A voice, sexy as silk, says into my ear. He's so close I can feel his breath on my cheek. I feel a tingling sensation down south and when I look up, I am accosted with the most luscious pair of green eyes I've ever seen...in person.

* * *

**Cajun Glossary:**

**_gumbo_ (gum boe) - A thick roux-based soup sometimes thickened with okra or file'. There are many variations, such as shrimp or seafood gumbo, chicken or duck gumbo.**

**_etouffee_ (ay too fay) - smothered seafood, Cajun stew**

**_boudin_ (boo dan) - spicy pork mixed with onions, cooked rice, and herbs and stuffed in a sausage casing.**

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**A/N:**

**Jenny Kate:** I don't know about you, but I hope those strong hands belong to Edward and I hope he takes her right there on the floor of the restaurant. How many more chapters until they do it?

**Jiff:** Ummm...one thing at a time. They have to meet first, remember? Let's concentrate on that, then we'll worry about the lemons.

**Jenny Kate:** Right. I guess they should meet first. Oooooo, that'd be a good fic. Bella and Edward have never met before, but they do it on the floor of a restaurant after Bella collides with a tray of Hot Pockets.

**Jiff:** That's how I like my fics...cannon and classy.

**Jenny Kate:** Yep, the two C's.

**Jiff:** I want a shirt like the waitress is wearing!

**Jenny Kate:** Me too! *runs to Cafepress*

**Jiff:** BTW, CajunWard can stuff my pocket any day!

**Jenny Kate:** I think that could be another shirt. It could say "Hot Pockets" on the front and "Cajunward can stuff my pocket any day" on the back. We could start a whole SoCo Clothing line.

**Jiff:** I like it. I like it a lot.

**Jenny Kate:** Did you just say that in a Jim Carrey voice, ala Dumb and Dumber?

**Jiff:** Why, yes, I did! Thank you for noticing! You know I love to quote movies.

**Jenny Kate:** One of the many reasons I love you.

**Jiff:** Awww, I love you, too! And, we love our readers! And reviews! We love them, too! Can you feel the love?

**Jenny Kate:** Do not start singing the Lion King...we'll be here all night.

**Jiff:** Alright. Say "goodnight", JK!

**Jenny Kate:** "Goodnight, JK."

**Jiff:** Ba-dum-dum

***Eleventy million 'thank yous' and bewbie gropes to our pre-readers allthingsHHH and Smitten_RPattz***


	4. What's Your Name

**Disclaimer: We do not own Twilight...we repeat, we do not own Twilight. We would like to own a couple of Hot Pocket shirts with "is that a gator in your pocket or are you just happy to see me" on the back. We would also like Edward to stuff our pockets. We also own Smitten_RPattz's ass for the next 5 days! She's in Oklahoma as of 5:45 CST and we're gonna be sure to show her some southern hospitality! ;) Hope you all enjoy a glimpse into Cajunward's mind. We give to you our first EPOV chapter...**

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**(EPOV)**

"Let's get this mess cleaned up."

"Sure thang, Boss." Jessica shakes her ass a little extra as she walks off. For my benefit, I'm sure. She'd be happier than a tick on a fat dog, if I'd just fuck her already, but she ain't my type. Anyways, she's an employee and I don't mix business with pleasure...or at least not _that_ sorta pleasure.

"I'm sorry for your little run in with the food. Looks like you're wearin' a bit of it. Can I get you a clean shirt?"

"Oh, I'm fine. I'll just, um, go back in the bathroom and, uh..."

She looks down at her shirt, with the gumbo splattered on the front...and maybe a little etouffee right by the collar.

"On second thought, I'll take that shirt."

There is a smear of barbeque sauce on her forehead and I have to admit that it's pretty darn cute.

"Edward Cullen." I say as I stick out my hand to help her up.

She blushes and cocks her head, giving me a funny look. "Bella Swan." She says as she takes my hand and hops up to her feet.

"I'm actually staying at your parent's house. I've heard a lot about you." She clears her throat and bites her lip, as if to keep from laughing. What the hell?

"So, you're the city-slicker New Yorker who came all the way down here to snap some pictures of our house?"

"Yes, city-slicker New Yorker, that's me."

"You always so clumsy, Miss Swan?"

"I have tendencies. The crazy thing is that you can put me in a pair of Louboutins and I can walk a tightrope. I'll slip on my Chucks and fall over an imaginary crack in the floor...or a blonde waitress with a tray full of food." She giggles.

She fucking giggles. I have a weakness for girls who giggle.

"Lemme get ya a clean shirt." As I head off to find her a Hot Pockets shirt, I think about getting her outta that shirt...and those tight jeans she's wearin'. I'm definitely gonna have to stay focused.

After giving Bella a shirt, I walk back out into the main part of the restaurant and see my brother sitting in the corner booth talking to a few of the regulars.

I slide into the booth across from him. "So, did you bring the city-slicker?"

"Who, Bella?"

"No, that other city-slicker that walked in earlier, 'cause we have so many of 'em 'round here. Yes, Bella," I deadpan.

He gives me a shit-eating grin. "So, you two met?" Waggling his eyebrows.

"Yeah, she had a little run in with a food tray, so I gave her a clean shirt. She's in the bathroom cleaning up." I laugh a little under my breath thinking about her clumsy ass and the barbeque sauce on her forehead.

I notice Bella walking past the bar towards the booth where Emmett and I are sitting. She's not just cute, she's beautiful. Her chestnut brown hair falls just past her shoulders and kinda bounces. Who the hell knows what women put in their hair to make it do that shit. It's obvious that she intentionally doesn't make eye contact with people. Her head is down and she's walking like she's on a mission...which is probably why she ended up with Hot Pockets all over her. I wouldn't put her in the "my type" category...I usually go for tall, leggy, blonde chicks. Bella is a little on the shorter side and she's got curves in all the right places.

She finally glances up once she gets closer to the table.

"Welcome back, Chuck."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing. Have a seat," I say as I stand up and let her sit down in the booth.

"I'm sure your order will be here shortly." I slide back in beside her. I have some boss duties I could be doing, but hanging out here with Emmett and Bella seems hella more fun.

Jessica shows up with the food that Emmett and Bella had ordered...and beers all around. This is shaping up to be a decent night. I'm glad Tanya decided to go to Baton Rouge for the night, with her skanky ass friends.

Hard Limits is playing tonight, which means Jasper should be showing up any minute.

"MMmmmmmm. Unnhhh. Oh, god. This is amazing." She tilts her head back and closes her eyes in satisfaction. If I didn't know any better, I'd think Bella was getting ready to have a Meg Ryan moment in the middle of my restaurant. And all her moaning was doing nothing for the raging hard-on I had been trying to tame since the minute I helped her off the floor in the hallway.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

She turns her head to look at me. "What?"

"I said I'll take all that moaning and "oh, gods" as a compliment." I give her my trademark smirk.

"Well, if you just made this fuckawesome Hot Pocket, then yes, it's a compliment. If not, please give my compliments to the chef."

"I told you that you would just have to try them for yourself," Emmett says with his mouth half full. "No one ever believes how amazing they are until they finally have one for themselves."

Bella picks up her beer and finishes it off. For a damn Yankee, she's not too bad.

"Test. Test...one, two...test...one, two, three. This thing on? Y'all seen French Settlement's most eligible bachelor? Where's Edward Cullen? Him and his glory cock must be 'round here somewhere charmin' the panties off some unsuspectin' lady, I'm guessin'."

"For the love of all things good and holy, Jasper," I mutter under my breath. "Wait right here, I gotta kill me a coonass."

I make my way up to the stage where Jasper and his band are tuning up.

"There he is!" Jasper gives me his award winning smile, the one that gets him outta more shit than it should.

"For the record, I plan on taking you out back and kickin' your ass later."

"Empty promises, Bra. Who's that lovely little lady sittin' with you and Emmett?"

"Oh, Chuck?"

"Dude, her name is Chuck? What the hell kinda name is that for a chick like her? Her parents had to been smokin' some wacky weed."

"Nah, it's actually Bella. She's just in town for a week or so to take pictures of the plantation. She works for Southern Living Magazine."

Jasper whistles through his teeth. "Son, she's finer than a frog hair split four ways. You ever been with a Yankee?"

"Nope. Planted my flag in all the states south of the Mason-Dixon Line...and a few north of it...and Mexico. Oh, and France."

"So, never New York?"

"Never."

"Well, Edward. I think you have yourself a mission. You need to go forth and plant your flag in New York. Do it for the greater good. Do it for the South! We shall rise again!"

He turns to me and salutes. "Alright, General Fuckin' Lee, save it for battle. What the hell are you salutin' for?"

"Just felt like the moment called for it."

"She's only going to be here a week and I have a feelin' she's not the type to just hook up with the locals. Who knows, she may have a city-slicker boyfriend back home waitin' on her. Besides, I'm not sure she's even my type."

"Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, y'know." Jasper says barely loud enough for me to hear him.

"Want me to introduce you to her?"

"Absofuckinlutely."

We start to walk back over to the booth and Jessica steps right in front of us.

"Shouldn't you be takin' some orders?"

"All caught up, Boss!"

"Well, go find something in the back to clean...make yourself useful."

"You know, I was thinkin'..."

"That's scary as hell."

She doesn't miss a beat and keeps on going. "Tanya is outta town tonight and I wouldn't want you to be lonely. So, I thought maybe I could come over...we could watch a movie or just talk...maybe you could show me exactly how you stuff your Hot Pockets...or maybe you'd like to stuff my Hot Pocket?" She eyeballs my crotch and licks her lips.

"Jessica, get back to work. I wouldn't wanna have to fire your ass."

Her ponytail almost slaps me in the face and she turns around and stomps off. I swear she's like a petulant child. If her daddy wasn't the mayor, I'd have given her the boot a long time ago. She's one of those girls who was born here and will die here. All she's waiting for is a sugar daddy...or somebody to be stupid enough to knock her up.

We finally make our way back across to the booth. Bella and Emmett are laughing hysterically over something. I'm sure Emmett has embarrassed me at least half a dozen times since I've been gone. He loves to tell off on me...always leaving out all the shit he's done.

Bella looks up and wipes tears from her eyes. She notices Jasper and smiles brightly. I'm hoping that's not an I'd-like-to-show-you-my-panties smile. I'm not sure what I feel about this girl; but one thing I know for sure is that, if I can't have her, Jasper sure as hell can't have her. And, if I can have her or want her or whatever, then he really sure as hell can't have her. Bottom line, Jasper can't have her.

What is wrong with me? It's like we're seven years old again and I'm trying to prove that I'm King of the Mountain. I run my hands through my hair and try to get a grip.

"Jasper, this is..."

Before I get a chance to say anything, Jasper interrupts me.

"Chuck. Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

"Well, it's Bella, actually." She accepts his hand and he gently raises hers to his mouth and places a suave ass kiss on the top. Who the hell does he think he is? Casanova?

"Nice to meet you, Darlin'. Bella seems a lot more suitable for someone as lovely as you. However, Edward here informed me that your name is Chuck."

I feel my face heat up. Damn him.

Bella looks at me with narrowed eyes. "Chuck, huh? I could have sworn that's what I heard you say earlier."

"Well, it's because you said you can walk just fine in those fancy shoes you were talkin' about, but you put on your Chucks and you're trippin' all over yourself. I thought it was cute, so..."

"So, you thought you'd give me some fucking nickname like "Chuck"?"

Emmett starts busting out laughing. Bella tries to hold her composure, but I see the crack in her facade. "I hate you, Edward Cullen. I just met you and I already hate you."

"On that note, I'm gonna head back up on stage and get this party started!" Jasper turns around and does some crazy jump and roll bit to get back up on stage. If I hadn't known him my whole life, I'd swear the boy had been dropped on his head or teethed on paint chips as a baby. Truth is that he just loves life and has a no-holds-bar approach to everything he does. It's one of the things I love most about him.

About that time, the band starts playing a kick ass cover song...

"Well, it's eight o'clock in Boise, Idaho.

I'll find my limo driver, Mister, take us to the show.

I've done made some plans for later on tonight:

I'll find a little queenie and I know I can treat her right.

What's your name, little girl, what's your name?"

I'm more than certain the song choice is for my benefit. I'll have to thank Jasper for that later.

The rest of the night is spent listening to Hard Limits and exchanging smart ass conversation with Bella and Emmett. The evening feels easy and light. I don't know a lot about Bella Swan, but I get the feeling she's different. I can't say for sure how or why...it's just a gut feeling. And I'm usually right about these things.

Emmett gets up from the table. "Well, kiddos, I think it's our curfew."

Bella looks at him like he's lost his mind. "Really? You guys have a curfew?"

"Not technically, but it's Saturday night, which means we have mass in the morning. No matter how late you stay out or how drunk your ass gets, you can not be late for mass."

"Sounds like you boys better get home!"

I catch Em's eye and he gives me a wink. Seems as though Bella thinks she's excluded from Sunday obligations. Rookie.

I place my hands on the table and lean over her. "That means you too, Sweetheart."

"Well, I, uh...I don't go to church. I mean, I've been to church, but it was a long long time ago. I wouldn't know the first thing about going...I'd probably endanger the whole congregation."

"Just be sure you wear those fancy shoes, Chuck. You'll be fine."

"I'm not talking about tripping, Jackass. I mean, God might strike me down with lightning or something of equal Biblical proportions."

"We'll say ten Hail Marys just for you," Emmett says as we walk out the door.

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**A/N:**

**Jenny Kate**: Hard Limits. Hehehe. I wonder if any of our fellow fic hoors will pick up on that one? Speaking of, do you have any hard limits, Jiffy Lube?

**Jiff**: With a name like "Jiffy Lube", how can I? ;-) I'd just like to clarify that my name _is_ Jiff but Jenny Kate added "lube" to it back in December. In fact, I remember the exact moment she called me by that name. It was at TwiCon, and when we were getting the celebrity guests' autographs, she told Gil Birmingham to make mine out to "Jiffy Lube!" He didn't, thank God, but I bet Guri Weinberg would have if he'd heard!

**Jenny Kate:** I like calling you my little Jiffy Lube, besides, I've heard you're quick on the draw! *wink* You remember that time I wanted to offer Jackson Rathbone a BJ and you talked me out of it? Ahhhh, memories. We've had some good times together. I bet we'll have some more classic "remember whens" after this weekend!

**Jiff: **Of course! Besides, I only told you not to offer your oral services to Mr. Rathbone because you were quite tipsy and I didn't want you doing sloppy work. Oh, and... you're married.

**Jenny Kate: **Thanks for looking out for me. If I ever become a profession working girl, you can be my pimp...or whatever they call the woman version of that. Um, a madam? I don't really know. *going to Google*

**Jiff:** While JK is off Googling my next job title...what did everyone think of our first EPOV? Is he sexy enough, smart-ass enough... let us know! Oh! We totally want to try to make hot pockets like we described in our story! When we do, we'll let you all know how they turned out!

**Jenny Kate:** I was actually right...it's a madam! My street smarts are strong. However, I'd like to call you pimpstress! Our next Jiffy Kate Night, after Smitten_RPattz's visit, will be Hot Pockets and tequila night, 'cause everything goes good with tequila! Patron is the new black.

**Jiff: ** You may call me "Madam Lube"! Hellz yeah!

**Jenny Kate:** Hope everyone likes the chapter! We'll have another one up on Saturday! Please let us know what you think in the reviews. We had no idea what kind of review hoors we'd be, but you have no idea how much we love them! We love them like Rob loves Hot Pockets and Heineken...and thrusting. We love them like Kristen loves wearing white trash shorts and Rob's dirty t-shirts. (We don't blame her.)

*We also love our pre-readers **allthingsHHH** and **Smitten_RPattz***


	5. Family Tradition

**Disclaimer: We do not own Twilight but Jiff owns a subscription to Southern Living magazine and a bulldog named Bella...and we own Smitten's ass for the next 2 days!**

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Church with the Cullens is not nearly as painful as I thought it would be. In fact, it is quite nice, considering I am fighting a bit of a hangover from last night. I am not even sure why I am hungover; I only had 3 beers. Maybe it is from all the laughing I did. Can you get a laughter hangover? I wouldn't know. It's been too long since I've had that much fun.

Working at Real Simple was fun when Alice was there. After she left, I didn't have anyone to hang out with or do "girly" things with. The only other person I have in New York City is Jake and that relationship stopped being fun ages ago. So, it really has been a while since I've let myself go and just had a good time.

There is a great quality I've noticed, not only in the Cullens, but in Jasper and other people I have observed here in French Settlement. They don't let things bother them for very long; they simply enjoy life. What do they call it here..._joie de vivre_... I think that is what Edward called it when I asked him why there is always a party happening down here.

Edward...

I am not sure what, but there's something about him that I am drawn to. It's not that damn nickname he has for me, but there is something.

I quietly laugh at myself for thinking that there is only _one_ thing that I'm drawn to. His messy auburn hair, intense green eyes, and jaw that is begging to be licked quickly come to my mind and those are just the things found above the neck. Once I let my mind wander below the neck, my mental list of Edward's attributes grows immensely.

I find myself liking him for other things, too, not just the physical. He has a real Southern charm and he is certainly smart. It is obvious that other women find him attractive; they'd be idiots not to. I mean, his number is on display in the bathroom at Hot Pockets. What is also obvious, is the fact that he seems to like the attention.

I should not be wasting my time thinking about Edward Cullen. I'm sure he is the playboy of all playboys. Plus, I have a boyfriend waiting for me at home. I mentally scold myself and try to clear my head. I can do this. I can work here for a week and hang out with this amazingly fuckhawt man and remain professional. He's just a man, Bella, get over it. Focus on going back to Jake and...and what? Staying with him? Eventually marrying him? My stomach rolls a bit as these last thoughts run through my mind. I know that's not really what I want. Which leads me to the question of the century...what _do_ I want?

"Pssst, you gonna go to confession after mass? You look like you been countin' up all your sins while we've been sittin' here, " Emmett whispers in my ear, effectively shutting up my inner monologue.

"What? Oh, um, no...no confessions for me today, thanks. You go ahead if you need to," I whisper back.

Emmett chuckles and asks, "Are you even Catholic?"

"Yes, I am. Well, I used to be...or I was. I don't know. It's been years since I've been in a church, " I answer.

"Now that's just a shame. Don't y'all have family time on Sundays, up in the big city?"

I look around the church to make sure our conversation isn't bothering anyone before answering quietly. "No, I don't really do family time on Sundays or any other day...my parents live upstate and they are in the process of getting a divorce."

Emmett pulls back from me a bit and his face falls. "Well, Miss Bella, I'm real sorry to hear that. But don't worry, the Cullens will make sure you get plenty of family time while you're here with us." He pats my shoulder and faces the front of the sanctuary where the priest is finishing up. I glance up at the pew in front of me and see Edward there smiling at me, looking like he heard my conversation with Emmett. I expect a look of pity, but instead, his greens show caring and concern. I return his small smile briefly.

"If you'll excuse me, I got some confessin' to do. It's good for the soul, ya know." Emmett slides past me and heads toward the back of the church, as everyone else is filing out of the pews.

Not only is Sunday mass a requirement when you are with the Cullen family, apparently, so is Sunday lunch. Esme says that she or Edward usually cooks a big family-style spread on Sundays, but since I'm here, they'd like to take me out and show me a little more of the area.

We arrive at another local family-owned establishment for lunch. Two things French Settlement doesn't have...stop lights and chain-restaurants. This fact almost blows my mind, coming from a place where there is a deli on every corner and a new place to eat for every meal. As we walk in, we are greeted by, not only the owner and the workers, but by the other patrons as well.

Of course, in a town this small, everyone is going to know you.

We're seated at a long table and everyone begins to look over their menus. I order seafood _gumbo_ and iced tea. They offer me fried alligator as an appetizer, but I politely decline.

After our meals are served, Esme asks, "So, what is your work schedule gonna be like this week, Bella?"

"Well, I was thinking that I'd like to start taking some pictures of the plantation and the grounds as soon as possible. When I work, I usually begin with the pictures, picking out the ones I like best, and then writing the article from there. Do you have anything specific you'd like to see in the article? There are just so many beautiful aspects of your home and property and I'd hate to leave out anything really important."

"Oh, Honey, I have no doubt that you will do an excellent job. Whenever you have questions for me or Carlise, just ask!"

After our delicious lunch, we head back to the plantation. I realize that, even though I have only know the Cullens for 2 days now, I truly enjoy being with them. Everything just feels easy and unrushed, so different from my own family.

My dad, Charlie, is originally from the south but, as soon as he received his Bachelor's degree, he moved to New York City to get his MBA. Charlie grew up very poor but was awarded scholarships for his excellent grades. He met my mom, Renee, at NYU, and after dating for a couple of years, she found out she was pregnant with me. They married a few months later, and soon after, I was born. Renee stayed home to take care of me so that Charlie could finish his degree program. After getting his dream job as a financial advisor at a top bank in the city, we moved to a nice apartment, which is where I lived until I left for NYU, following in my dad's academic footsteps.

Charlie always said that he wanted me to have all the things he didn't have when he was young. He hated being from the south, and once I became a teenager, I wasn't allowed to visit his family any more. He persuaded me to believe that only ignorant, backwards people live in the south...but I don't believe that.

The Cullens are nothing like that and neither are the other people I've met here, so far. Generalizing that all people from the south are ignorant, is like generalizing that all people from the north are rude...there are always exceptions to the rule. I believe it also goes back to the saying "you can't judge a book by it's cover." Just one more lie Charlie has told me over the years. I think he's the one that needs to go to confession.

We pull into the Cullen's garage and roll ourselves out of their SUV, still full from our big lunch.

I feel a strong hand on my shoulder. "You ok? You didn't say much on the drive home." I look up to see Edward standing beside me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

"Are ya homesick already?" he teases.

"No, actually...I think I'm the _opposite_ of homesick at the moment," I laugh.

"Okay... Well, I was gonna offer to give you a tour of the plantation, if you feel up to it."

"Absolutely! I would love that, thank you. Let me go change and grab my camera!"

Edward laughs softly. "Ok, I'll meet you back here in 15 minutes."

As I start to run up the stairs to my room, I hear Emmett groaning. "Ugh, my body is exhausted from all this digestin'...it's workin' overtime. I'm takin' a nap. Bella, you gonna be ok on your own for a while?"

From the stairs, I yell back at him. "Yes, Emmett, I am a big girl and can take care of myself, y'know. Besides, Edward is giving me a tour of the land so I can start taking pictures."

"Cool. Have fun and don't forget to use your bug spray. Them mosquitoes will eat you up!"

I laugh and go into my room. How can you not love Emmett? I wonder if he has anyone special in his life. Maybe I can hook him up with Alice...nah, that probably wouldn't work. He's too country for her gangsta ass.

I throw on my jean shorts, tank top, and tennis shoes and give myself a quick spritz of bug spray. I grab my camera, and run back down the stairs to meet Edward.

He's waiting for me in the garage, like he said he would, but this time he is in a golf cart. He's wearing baggy jeans with an LSU t-shirt and has a pair of Ray Bans on. Holy shit, he looks amazing. How is it possible for one guy to look this good?

Stay focused Bella...boyfriend, job...task at hand. You got this. You're a professional.

I get in the golf cart and Edward starts driving me around the grounds. While he is giving me a brief history of the plantation, I start taking pictures. I have him stop when something really special catches my eye. I spend extra time playing around with the lighting and angles. We briefly stop at Esme's garden, but I don't spend a lot of time there, because I know I'll be back. It is amazing and deserves a whole day dedicated to capturing it's beauty.

"The plantation sits on 55 acres and also has 2 cottages on the land," Edward tells me.

"Who lives in the cottages?" I ask.

"They are meant for Emmett and me; we just haven't moved out of the Big House yet. I suppose whenever we settle down and get married, we'll finally move out." He laughs.

"Do you want to stay on the property?"

"Yeah, I do," he answers. "I love it here; its my home and I want to share it with my own family, if I ever have one. What about you? Do you plan on living in the big city forever?"

"Forever? I don't know. It's all I've ever really known, you know? I was so caught up in my little corner of the world that I hadn't even considered a different way of life...life outside of the city. Now that I'm here, though, I can see that there is so much beauty...beauty to be shared with others. That's what I want to do with my article; show others what a wonderful life there is to be had down here and make them fall in love." I feel embarrassed opening up to Edward like this but I feel so comfortable here that I can't seem to help it. I clear my throat. "That's my job. That's what sells magazines."

"I'm all for people falling in love, but I'm not sure I want a bunch of damn Yankees moving to the Settlement," he says grinning. I think I hear him say something about being okay if one Yankee stayed, but it could have just been the heat getting to me.

All of sudden, Edward stops and parks the cart. "Ah, there he is! There's my boy!" He jumps out and jogs towards a cottage, whistling, and yelling for someone named Johnny. I am confused at first, assuming Edward is talking about a person, but I soon realize he is not.

"Bella! Come meet the boys!" As I catch up to Edward, I see that he is on the ground being pawed and licked by, not one but, two dogs and he has the biggest, most incredible smile on his face. I find myself wishing I was the one putting that smile on his face...and licking him, before I force myself back into reality.

"Alright, alright. Settle down." The dogs become calm and Edward wipes his face with the bottom of his shirt, briefly showing me his toned abs and a light smattering of hair that travels down past his button-fly. Happy trail, indeed. Dammit, Bella, you're working! Get your mind out of the gutter!

"Bella, I'd like for you to meet Johnnie Walker and Jose Cuervo. Say hello, boys."

Edward informs me that the black labrador is his and the brown one is Emmett's. They are both so rambunctious and crazy. I think they take after their owners.

I can't help but giggle as I start petting both dogs, "You and Emmett named your dogs after liquor? Are you serious?"

"That's nothin'. Jasper has a basset hound named Hiram Walker."

I let out a snort accidentally and then start laughing uncontrollably. After a minute or so, I finally stop and wipe the tears of laughter away from my eyes. I look up and Edward is staring at me with a curious expression on his face.

I clear my throat and regain my composure. "It's been lovely meeting you guys, but I must get back to work," I say in my most serious voice and pat them on their heads. Leaving Edward and the dogs to their running around, I head back over to the golf cart.

I retrieve my camera and begin walking around the property, taking pictures as I go. I manage to sneak a few pictures of Edward in, when he isn't looking. I love capturing people in their element. It is usually so raw and unadulterated...so natural. I walk a little further, down a paved-stone path toward the back of the house. There tied between two big oak trees, is a large, white hammock. I let out a little squeal. Running up to it, I brush my hand along the woven fabric. I step back and snap a picture. Not for the article, but for myself.

Edward jogs up to me and gives me a peculiar look, as if to ask "what the hell?" "I haven't seen one of these since I was kid," I explain. "My grandma in Mississippi had one in her yard and I used to love spending summer afternoons swinging and sleeping in it." I climb in, taking extra care not to fall on my ass in front of Edward for a second time. After successfully climbing in, I kick my legs out and make the hammock rock to life. "I can make room for you, if you want to join me," I call out to Edward. This thing is huge.

He shakes his head, laughing. "No, thanks, I'm just gonna do a few things around the cottage. I won't go far."

I lay back in the hammock, and am once again mesmerized by the many different shades of green that are surrounding me. I lift my camera and capture a few shots from this unique perspective.

The shade from the large oak trees makes the summer heat more bearable and I soon find myself drifting off to sleep.

I'm not sure how long I slept, but when I wake up, all I see is green...the dark green leaves hanging over my head...the olive green moss clinging to the tree branches...and bright green eyes staring at me again.

* * *

**Cajun Glossary:**

**_gumbo_ (gum boe) - A thick roux-based soup sometimes thickened with okra or file'. There are many variations, such as shrimp or seafood gumbo, chicken or duck gumbo.**

* * *

**A/N:**

**Jiff: **We do not mean to offend anyone by Charlie's thoughts on Southern people. There are those who agree with him, though. We, being southerners, do NOT agree, obviously. Ok, enough with the heavy. JK?

**Jenny Kate: **So, I hear you've been makin' Smitten Come Again(s)? You two-timin' matahari.

**Jiff**: But, I made them for you first!

**Jenny Kate: **My point exactly.

**Jiff:** Moving on...Everyone seems to like our CajunWard so far! That makes me very happy. It also makes me giggle when people start worrying about Tanya Fucking Denali, which IS her middle name. Well, in our fic, it is. :-)

**Jenny Kate: ***checks birth certificate* Yep, Tanya Fucking Denali. *says so right here* She's just fun to screw around with...literally and figuratively. Personally, I like to use Tanya as a cuss word. It sounds real nice rollin' off the tongue. Try it out...

**Jiff**: It really is a great cuss word. You all should use it at least once a day. JK, you ready to get your party on?

**Jenny Kate:** Yep, we outta here...there's shots to take and booties to shake. Peace out, yo! Leave us some love in the reviews. We're attention hoors and would love to know what you think about the story so far! Oh, and have faith in us that we will eventually deliver on some juicy-drip-down-your-chin lemonade. It's comin'. (twss)


	6. Gold Digger

**Disclaimer: We do NOT own Twilight, Edward, Bella or Tanya, but we like playing with Cajunward and Chuckella and Tanya Fucking Denali. Jenny Kate also owns a nice little bruise on her head, courtesy of a bathroom wall at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.**

* * *

As I'm lying in bed, trying to get the motivation to get up and get in the shower, my mind drifts back to Sunday, when I showed Bella around the plantation. We had made our way over to what will one day be my home. She noticed the hammock in the back yard. I heard her squeal and I came running around the house. I was worried something bad had happened, but she was just excited over the hammock. She said something about her grandma having one. The look on her face was priceless. For some crazy reason, I liked that something that belonged to me had put that look there. She plopped down in the hammock and offered me a seat beside her, but I declined. I knew that I wouldn't be able to behave myself being that close to her. So, I gave her some space and took a stroll around the house. After making one lap, I came back to find Bella asleep in the hammock.

I felt like a creeper, just sitting there watching her, but I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Her long chestnut brown hair had a hint of red highlights in the sun and her skin kind of glowed. She looked angelic laying there. That's definitely a facade, because I know better. She's a spitfire. She's independent, driven, and ambitious. Definitely a woman who knows what she wants.

My mind wanders to less chaste thoughts and I remember the way the mounds of her breasts peaked out over the top of her shirt. I shouldn't have been looking, but I did anyway. I'm wishing that I hadn't, because I can't think of anything else. I wonder how they feel...how her nipples would react to my touch...and at that thought; I'm hard and needing relief.

Just the motivation I need to get in the shower.

I hurry into the bathroom and turn the water on. With thoughts of Bella's tits still in my mind, I quickly step into the spray and lather up my soap. I close my eyes and imagine what she would feel like underneath my hands. I think about my fingers running over her curvy hips...grabbing her ass...and then making my way up to pay special attention to the mounds that were tempting me under the shade tree.

Before I know it, my hand is firmly wrapped around my cock. The more I think of Bella, the faster my hand pumps and I know I won't last long. She has so much control over me and she doesn't even know it. One more thought of what she might look like naked and I'm done for. My release comes in one long stream and hits the back of the shower wall.

One thing's for sure, if and when I ever get the chance to fuck Bella Swan, I will definitely need to pre-game, or risk the chance of looking like an under experienced pubescent teenager.

Taking the last few steps of the stairs in one giant leap, I feel extra energetic. As I make my way into the kitchen, I can hear Bella's voice coming from the formal dining room. I peek in and see her sitting at the table with her phone to her ear. I quietly back out of the room and slip into the kitchen unnoticed. My mom left breakfast on the stove, so I grab some bacon and go to the fridge to get some juice.

Bella's voice rises from the other room. I can tell she's trying not to yell into the phone, but she's not succeeding and the anger is apparent in her voice.

"NO, Dad! You weren't doing me any favors! Don't say that you stayed together for me. You obviously didn't think this through. If you had, you would have realized that I would have rather lived with the truth and you guys not be together, than to wake up at 26 and realize my whole life has been a lie!"

She pauses and I think I hear her sniffle. Oh, God. Not crying. I can't handle tears. I'm so weak to a woman's tears.

"Do you know how that feels, Dad? Do you know how it feels to think that every happy moment of your life was a lie? I'll tell you exactly how it feels. It feels shitty. In fact, it fucking sucks!"

I know I should turn around and leave, get out of earshot, but I can't. My feet won't move.

"Dad, why didn't we ever do things together as a family? Why did we stop visiting Grandma Swan? That's when we were a real family. You didn't even let me go to her funeral. I know _you_ hated everything and everyone in the south, but I loved her and she loved me. I didn't even get to say goodbye."

I hear the phone hit the table and then Bella loses all the composure she was trying to maintain while on the phone with her dad. I peek back into the dining room and I see her with her head resting on her arms and her shoulders shaking as she cries quietly...alone.

The next thing I know, my feet are planted right beside her and I reach out to brush the hair off of her face so I can see her. I don't want to startle her, so I speak first. "Bella..."

She turns her head to look at me and begins wiping the tears off her face. I'd like to do that for her, but it's not my place.

"I'm sorry."

"Are you apologizing for crying?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm apologizing for allowing personal matters to interrupt my work." She shrugs her shoulders, as if it's a question.

"Well, first of all, you wouldn't need to apologize to me anyway; I'm not your boss. Second, I think it's ok for you to have a personal moment. Want to talk about it?"

"I wouldn't know where to start."

"Maybe the beginning?"

"Everything is so fucked up. We could be here all day. How about you show me some of the house I haven't seen yet? Help me get my mind off all the shit back home?"

"I can do that." I give her a smile.

About that time, the doorbell rings.

"Lemme go get that. I'll be right back. Did you eat breakfast yet?"

"A little, but I could use some more coffee."

"Alright, well go help yerself and I'll see who's at the door."

It's Wednesday, and my mom has been in party planning mode, so I assume it will be another delivery of some sort.

Opening the door, I see it's the last person I want to deal with today.

"Hey, Tanya."

"Hiya, Eddie! I missed you so much!" She closes the space between us and launches herself at me. I have no choice but to catch her or the sheer force of impact will knock me over.

"What the hell?"

"I just missed you. Didn't you miss me?" She gives me this pathetic pouty lip. I hate that. She's so damn manipulative.

I turn around and try to shake her off. "_Sure_, I missed yer clingy ass," my voice dripping with sarcasm. Unfortunately, she thinks I'm being serious. Some things just don't sink into her thick skull...maybe it was all that dye she used to keep her hair bleached blonde. I made a comment one time in tenth grade that I preferred blondes and Tanya has never let her brown roots show since. The blonde suits her though. She's dumber than a box of rocks. I guess you could say she has "street smarts"...she knows how to pleasure a man. That's the only thing that has kept us hooking up all these years. She's a good lay.

When I look up, I make contact with a deep set of browns. I can't exactly read Bella's face, but if I have to guess, I'd say it shows disappointment, and then her eyes zero in on Tanya. I think it might be jealousy or envy. I'll take either one of those coming from Bella.

"Hey, Bella. This is Tanya..."

"His girlfriend." Tanya says in her syrupy sweet voice. She cuts her artificially enhanced baby blues at me. Sometimes I wonder why in the hell I keep her around. She's always starting shit and making trouble, and she ain't my damn girlfriend.

I give her the look. She knows it well.

"Tanya, we're not..."

"Semantics, Eddie." How she manages to pull a word like "semantics" out of her ass, I'll never know. I'm sure it's something she's picked up off of one of those reality TV shows she lives vicariously through.

She brushes past Bella without another look and heads straight for the kitchen. Bella is just standing there looking puzzled and then glances up at me.

I run my hand through my hair and motion toward the kitchen.

I swear she's going to be the death of me...both of them...for different reasons.

We walk into the kitchen and Tanya is helping herself to stuff in the fridge like she owns the damn place. In her sick, distorted mind I suppose she thinks it's just a matter of time. I've caught Tanya several times over the years trying to pull all kinds of shit. One time, she tried to convince me that she was on the pill and I didn't need to wear a condom anymore. Yeah, like that's gonna happen. First of all, I have never fucked a woman without wearing a condom. Secondly, a "love child" would be Tanya's ticket to a life of luxury. Again, not gonna happen. Not with me, anyway.

"So, _Belllla._..is that your real name or is it Isabella?"

"Isabella, but I prefer Bella."

"So, Isabella..." That bitch. "What brings you to our quaint little village?"

"I'm here doing a piece on the Cullen Plantation for Southern Living Magazine."

Tanya's eyes almost pop out of her head. I stifle a laugh.

"You work for Southern Living?"

Being featured in Southern Living is most southern women's dream, my mom's included.

"I don't technically work for Southern Living. I used to work for Real Simple, but recently started doing freelance work."

"Is that code for 'you got fired'?"

Bella almost chokes on her coffee. "No!" She sputters. I can see Bella's defense mode go into effect.

"I chose to leave Real Simple. I had made my way to the top in four years of being there, and wanted a bit more of a challenge."

Not that she needed to defend or explain herself to Tanya Fucking Denali, but I give her kudos for standing her ground. A lot of people just back down to Tanya. I'm gonna guess that she's met her match with Bella Swan.

"Well, Eddie. I've gotta go," Tanya says, realizing she is not going to get anywhere with Bella. So much for intimidating the competition, which I'm sure is exactly what brought her all the way out here today. "Call me later. I'm sure you're just dyin' to have your itch scratched," she winks at me. "I know you don't like takin' matters into your own hands, so I'm sure you're just about ready to explode." She touches her finger to her lips and then to mine as she flips her hair around and starts out of the kitchen.

For her information, I took care of that shit in the shower this morning...all thanks to Bella and her luscious tits. I keep my focus on the floor, so I don't give away any of my secrets. I've been told my face tells all.

"You know the way out, Tanya..." I add, "Don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya" when I hear the door close.

After her verbal spar with Tanya, Bella announces that she's going to work. I offer to go with her and make sure she doesn't get lost, but she informs me that she is perfectly capable of finding her way around. She also says she needs some time to just feel the land, let it speak to her. She doesn't know it, but statements like that make me like her, more than I do already. Yeah, that's it. I like her. I _like_ Bella Swan.

I look out the window and see my mom working in her garden. I love just watching her in her element. It's like she's one with the land. Her hands move so fluidly as she prunes and plants. Sometimes I see a glimpse of sadness in her eyes, but I know it's not permanent. She just uses her gardening as a time to reflect and "talk to God", as she puts it.

She says that, if the priest wouldn't think she was livin' in sin, she'd just spend her Sundays in the garden with God.

I slip out the French doors off the kitchen and walk quietly to the garden.

"I was wondering if you were gonna watch from the window for the rest of the day."

"I didn't want to disturb you."

"Since when has that ever been an issue?"

"You're right, but you looked deep in thought."

"Oh, nothin' that would keep me from wantin' your company." She looks up and gives me that magical smile of hers.

I can't help but smile back.

"Somethin' on your mind?"

I exhale deeply. There's no hidin' stuff from her. "I was just thinkin' about a phone call I overheard this mornin'. None of my business really."

"Uh huh. So, you were eavesdroppin'?" She gives me a pointed look. "Tell me more." She's so bad, so good and so bad rolled into one, kinda like Bella.

I shake my head. "I accidentally overheard a conversation Bella was having with her dad this morning. I tried not to listen, but she was so angry...and then she got so sad. She was cryin' and you know how I have a weakness for girls cryin'. I couldn't just walk away then."

Esme got that motherly look of concern on her face. "What was the conversation about exactly?"

"Well, of course, all I heard was Bella's side of it, but mostly how she felt like her life was a lie."

"'Cause of her mama and daddy gettin' a divorce?"

"Yeah, she was so angry with her dad. She was tryin' to tell him that she would have rathered them not stay together all these years and lived the truth."

My mother nodded.

"She also brought up something about her grandma and how her dad didn't let her say goodbye. You should have seen her sittin' in the dining room after she hung up. She looked like the loneliest person on earth."

"Well, Heaven forbid, Edward. Did you just stand there?"

"No, of course not. I went to her, but I didn't really know what to say or if I should try to console her, and then she just started apologizin'."

"For what?"

"For letting personal matters interfere with her work." I shrugged.

"That poor girl." She stood up and dusted her hands off, then pulled me into one of her famous hugs. "I'll talk to her." I breathed a sigh of relief.

She pulled back and looked at me. "Why, Edward Anthony Cullen, do you have feelings for this young lady?"

"What? No. I mean, yes. Maybe. I don't know. All I know is that I like it when she's smilin' and I hate it when she's cryin'."

She pats me on the back and laughs as she walks away, leaving me in the garden.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Jiff**: Aww, sweet CajunWard. He no likey the crying. If this was an episode of Big Bang Theory, Edward could have offered Bella a refreshing beverage. You know, because that's what Sheldon was raised to do when someone is upset. How's your forehead, JK?

**JK:** Oh, or he might have sang her Soft Kitty...no, wait that's just for when you're sick. Do injuries count as being sick? My forehead is better, but if injuries count, you could sing Soft Kitty to me if you want.

**Jiff: **I'll sing it to you, BB! I have a shirt with the lyrics on it, too! BBT FTW! Ok, back to CajunWard... There was a tiny bit of citrus for you in this chapter. Not really a _lemon_ but, still, it was something... more like a lime...a key lime, maybe? Not that I am comparing Edward's balls to key limes...I'm just saying...oh, hell, just stop me now...

**JK: ** Yes, we all know that Edward's balls are substantial...definitely not "key limes". Can I just say that writing that lemon squeeze was NERVE WRACKING! Seriously. I had no idea how hard it would be to write about Edward taking care of bidness. Geez. I'll have to double up on the Prozac before we write the real lemons. But isn't he a sweetie? I just love him so much.

**Jiff**: He's a good southern boy. He loves women, but he's also a softie on the inside. But, ONLY on the inside...on the outside, he is HARD! His abs...his other-things...

**JK: **So so hard. Everywhere. *achem* I gotta change the subject. I'm at work...I wouldn't want to have to take care of my own bidness. So, how's everyone liking Southern Comfort and Cajunward? What do you guys think about Tanya Fucking Denali? She's such a little bitch, huh? Gah. My favorite person to hate...and I don't even feel bad about it. Oh, and Bella's conversation with her dad...any thoughts on that? Be sure to feed our inner Review Hoors and leave us some love.

***A HUGE thank you to our pre-readers and pimps Smitten_RPattz and allthingsHHH...we love them hard...as hard as Edward's...well, you know.***


	7. Country Grammar

**Disclaimer: We do not own Twilight. We're just giving the characters some southern flair. We do own an expansive playlist of old skool booty music, which we love to work into our story as much as possible.**

* * *

_Brass Monkey! That funky monkey!_

_Brass Monkey, Junkie, that funky monkey!_

I cover my head with my pillow and close my eyes tightly.

_Got this dance that's more than real_

_Drink Brass Monkey, here's how ya feel._

_You put your left leg down, your right leg up_

_Tilt your head back, let's finish the cup_

"Ugh!" I throw my pillow onto the floor and grab my phone so I can turn my alarm off. I also mentally curse Alice for setting my alarm to that song. Don't get me wrong, I love the song...when I'm dancing in a club, but as an alarm...not so much.

I really don't want to get out of bed this morning, but I know I have to. After spending the past 4 days walking around the plantation and working on my article, I am exhausted. I feel like crap today, but the good news is that my legs feel more toned and I have a nice little tan covering most of my body.

I'm not sick or anything, I just feel nervous. Or maybe it's anxious. I'm not worried about the article, it just needs to be proofread by Alice, but it's complete...and it's good. Really good, if I say so myself. I took a ton of pictures and had so many ideas that I could have written an entire book on the Cullen Plantation, but I think I kept my focus for the article where it should be.

So, this feeling, whatever it is...it's not about the article.

Today is supposed to be a fun day. No work and all play. It's Edward's birthday and his family is having this gigantic pig roast, which is a Cullen tradition. I'm very excited to have another Louisiana experience before I leave on Sunday, but I am not happy about the guest list for the party. Actually, it's one person I don't want to see...that bubble-headed-bleach-blonde skank, Tanya.

I have never wanted to rip someone's hair out of their head, like I did when I first met her. I only kept my cool because I didn't want to make a scene at the Cullen's house, while I was working. If I ever come back and we run into each other in town, all fucking bets are off.

What does Edward see in her?

Obviously, she's an easy piece of ass. She made that clear herself. I know Edward is the local playboy, but I still expected him to have some standards. I don't really know him that well, but it felt like we were about to have a "moment" before that hoe-bag barged in. He genuinely seemed concerned after my awful phone call with my dad, and I felt myself wanting to open up to him about it. I guess it wasn't meant to be.

To say that it has been awkward between us ever since, is an understatement. I have been keeping myself busy with the article and he has been...getting busy, I'm sure. Not that I care. I mean, I do, as a friend, but I have to remember that it is none of my business what Edward does.

Or _who_ Edward does.

Aarrgghh! The only thing keeping me sane right now is the fact that Alice is on her way to the plantation. She is flying in from Birmingham to see me and to expedite the article. She'll be here in a couple of hours and I cannot wait to hug her gangsta ass hard!

I pull myself out of bed and head straight for the shower. As I wait for the water to warm up, I take off my shirt and panties, and look over my body. I can tell I've put on a few pounds while I've been here, but who can blame me? The food here is amazing and no one believes in small portions. I don't really care. I've enjoyed every bite. Truth be told, I kinda like my new curves. It's not like I have a beer belly or anything; I just have a little more roundness to my hips...and maybe my ass. Yeah, my ass looks good.

I know as soon as I am back to the city, walking everywhere and eating sporadic meals, these extra pounds will disappear.

I get a little sad when I think about returning to the city. I don't know if it's the fact that I'll be closer to the divorce situation, or knowing I need to have a sit-down with Jake...or leaving this beautiful, peaceful place. Maybe it's a combination of all three.

I finish my shower and dress in some shorts and a cute top, not spending a lot of time on my attire. I know this party, just like everything else in French Settlement will be laid-back and casual. I bought a couple of pairs of flip flops the other day, and I am excited to wear them. No one wears flip flops in New York because the streets are so dirty and grimy, but here in Louisiana, they are a necessity.

I feel better than I did when I first woke up, so I jog down the stairs and into the kitchen, remarkably staying upright the entire time.

I am pouring my second cup of coffee and picking up a blueberry muffin, when the front door opens and I hear the voice I've been waiting to hear all week.

Alice.

"Thanks for the ride, Tyler! Maybe I'll see you at the party this afternoon!"

"Oh, I'll be here, Miss Alice. I wouldn't miss it for nothin'," he says as he walks out the door.

I quietly tiptoe into the foyer just as Alice takes her sunglasses off and looks around. After a few seconds, I yell "Whassssuppp!" Alice turns to where I am standing and starts squealing like a little girl. We both run to each other and laugh, hugging and jumping up and down at the same time.

Alice pulls away first. "Hot damn, Bella Swan! Louisiana looks good on you, Girl! Are you actually letting yourself have fun down here?"

"Um, yes...no...some? I've been trying. Isn't that what I promised? There's been a little drama here and there, but I have let my hair down once or twice this week."

"Of course, there has been drama, silly. Cajuns are very passionate people. I can imagine that you have put everyone in a tizzy."

"Really, Alice, a 'tizzy'? Are you leaving the ghetto to become a Southern Belle? And, besides, I don't have anyone in a 'tizzy'...it's other people causing the drama. I'm guilt-free."

"First off, hellz no, I'm not abandoning my love for all things gangsta. Just because I now live in the south doesn't mean I lose my street cred. Secondly, whose ass is it that I need to kick for causing you trouble?"

I laugh because, even though Alice looks all delicate and girly, I know she'd totally throw down on someone if they were messing with me. That's why she's my best friend, and the feeling is mutual.

"Let's go sit on the patio and catch up. Are you hungry or thirsty? The _cochon de lait _is being set up, so all of the Cullens are running around getting everything ready. I'll introduce you as they come in."

Alice and I sit on a big comfy couch on the patio, drinking our coffee, as I tell her about everything that has happened since I came down here. I tell her about my phone call with my dad and how he expressed his distaste for my current location and that he wants me to leave this "God forsaken place" as soon as possible. What does he know about God and Him forsaking places?

I tell her about Esme and Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper, and then I tell her about Edward. I might have also brought up a certain blonde whore. I felt it was only right to warn Alice before tonight. What was Esme telling me the other night? As long as you say "bless their heart" after you talk about someone, it's ok. I should remember to say that.

Next time.

Alice has a serious look on her face as she starts to speak for the first time since we sat down. "So, you like this Edward? Tell it to me straight, Swan."

"Seriously, after everything I unloaded on you during the last thirty minutes...that's what you got out of it? I really think this southern heat is going straight to your head. You might need to lie down."

"Bella, don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining."

"OH. Oh, that is enough, Alice Brandon. What? Did they give you some sort of Southern Dictionary when you stepped off the plane in Birmingham? You southern people with your crazy talk! Uhhhh." I stamp my foot and cross my arms.

Alice looks at me like I am crazier than Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah's couch.

"Get a grip, Bella. If anyone is suffering from the southern heat going to their head, it's you, Honey. I didn't mean to get your feathers all ruffled. Just calm down; take some deep breaths. So, you don't like Edward. That's fine. Probably for the best. Ya know, due to the fact that you are leaving in two days and have a boyfriend back home and a father who hates the south. It's better to not have anything down here worth pining over after you leave. Well, except for me, of course, but your father loves me. He'll make an exception for quarterly visits to see me..."

"I didn't say I don't like Edward." I whisper.

"I thought so. Glad to see we're on the same page. I was worried that you were going to make me beat it out of your ass."

"You are so scary when you talk like that."

"I know and I love it. So, tell me more about Edward."

"I'd rather you just witness him for yourself."

"That good, huh?" She gives me a sultry grin and raises an eyebrow.

"You have no idea."

"Like Channing Tatum good?"

"Better."

"Like George Clooney good?"

"SO much better."

"Like Bradley Cooper good?"

"Even better."

"Really? Better than the 'Sexiest Man Alive'?

"Yep."

"Wow."

"Tell me about it."

"You're in deep shit."

"I know."

"Who's in deep shit? Y'all need my help? I can kick some serious ass. Have you seen these guns?" Emmett walks up onto the porch flexing his mad muscles.

"Put the guns away, Em." I laugh. "Emmett Cullen. Alice Brandon, my best friend, editor at Southern Living, whitest gangsta you'll ever meet, and all around know-it-all."

"So, you're the one who brought this city girl to the village?"

"Yes. Guilty as charged." Emmett picks Alice up in a bear hug and Alice squeals.

"Well, thank you, Darlin!"

"You're welcome." Alice laughs as Emmett lowers her back to her seat.

"I'm assumin' you'll be stickin' around for the party tonight?"

"Yes, Sir! You are all stuck with me for the entire weekend. I fly out the same day Bella flies back to New York."

"Good. I'll see you girls around. I've gotta get back to work before Esme catches me slackin' on the job."

"Well, he's adorable. If Edward is anything like his brother, I'm already sold."

"Better."

We spend another hour or so out on the porch just catching up and enjoying being in the same zip code. I didn't realize how much I had missed Alice's presence until I had it again.

After we go over my article, she starts looking through the photographs I had organized for the layout.

"Oh, Bella. This is some of your best work yet."

"Really? You think so?"

"Definitely. It's like the landscape and architecture just speak to you through the pictures. And don't get me started on the portraits. The colors are so vivid...so much green. It's like they're alive." She picks up one photograph in particular. "This one especially. Your composition of this one is just breathtaking." She pauses, cocking her head. "Bella, is this your Edward?"

She turns the picture around. Edward is sitting up against a tree, playing his acoustic guitar. It's not one that I intended for the article. How did that get in there?

"Oh, yeah. I must have slipped that one in there by mistake."

"You're right, Bella. So much better."

"Told you."

"This picture just says so much...more than a thousand words. Where was this taken?"

"Here, at the plantation, of course."

"It doesn't look like this house in the background."

"Oh, it's not. It's out by Edward's house."

"I thought you said that everyone lives here at the big house."

"They do, but Edward and Emmett have houses built on both sides of the property...just kind of waiting on them to move in one day."

"What are they waiting on?"

"Marriage, I guess. Edward said that they stay really busy and don't see a reason to move out of the house. They really like to be a family. You know, like a real family...eat together, hang out together...go to church together."

"Hmmmm." Alice kind of nods and continues to look at the picture. "So, tell me a little more about the picture."

"Well, you know how I love to capture people in their element, when they are unaware of the intrusiveness of the lens."

"Your specialty." She nods.

"That was just one of those moments. I think he had forgotten I was there."

"Does he play his guitar in a band or anything?"

"Not that I know of. It's actually the only time I've seen him with it. He was playing while I was working...like I said; I think he forgot I was even around."

"I doubt that."

"I was actually thinking about framing a few of these pictures as a gift for Edward, but I don't want him to think I'm being presumptuous...or forward. I mean, he may not even like any of them, but I know he loves this place. So..."

"Bella Swan! He'd be crazy not to love them! Don't worry about being forward; just think with your heart for once. Besides, friends give friends things. It would be a wonderful gift. Really."

I'm glad that I thought ahead and had all the photographs sent off for printing. The prints were delivered by Fed-Ex this morning. Thanks to Alice's persuasion, I decide to go ahead and frame the few pictures I had picked out and wrap them up for Edward's birthday gift. Hopefully he'll like them.

Alice gets the chance to meet Esme and Carlisle as they are coming back from town with a few last minute items. They both love her instantly, just like I knew they would. Esme and Carlisle love everyone...well, almost everyone. I get the feeling that they share my feelings about Tanya. The other night, I overheard Esme say that only Jesus can love a person like Tanya. Not sure exactly how that translates, but I'm guessing she doesn't love her. Oh, and she doesn't like that Mike guy or his dad. Apparently, she has had a run in with them several times over messed up orders. One thing you do not want to do is make Esme mad.

The ongoing mantra Tyler warned me of my first day here "if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy" is absolutely true.

Good thing she's so easy to please...and to love. I feel so close to her and I've only been here seven days. I can't imagine never seeing these people again. They already feel more like family to me than the people I'm forced to call family.

My phone rings to keep me from going into a semi-depressive state.

"Hello. Bella Swan."

"Hello, Gorgeous. Long time no talk."

"Jake! Hey!"

"Hey, yourself. What have you been up to? Too busy to call your favorite boyfriend?"

"Oh, ha ha. You know I stay really busy when I'm on location. Besides, you said that you will be totally out of pocket this week. So, what, you miss me so bad you have to make an exception?"

"Of course I miss you. I always do when you're away. I just thought maybe you had changed your mind and decided to take the red eye home in time for the weekend."

"Wishful thinking. I'm staying until Sunday. Alice just got in today and the Cullens are hosting a cochon de lait tonight for Edward's birthday."

"A cochon de what? And who are the Cullens?"

"A cochon de lait is a big party where they roast a pig on an open fire. It's a traditional Cajun celebration. I'm really looking forward to documenting it. The Cullens are who own the plantation I've been staying at all week...who I'm doing the article about. Do you not pay attention to anything I tell you?" Sorta joking, sorta not...most of the time I feel like he doesn't really care about my work at all.

"Oh, sure sure. So, you're definitely staying through the weekend?"

"Yes. Staying until Sunday."

"Ok, well have fun at your couch on the lake or whatever. I guess I'll see ya on Monday."

"Yeah, Monday...Oh, hey, Jake?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we could plan on having dinner Monday night?"

"Uh, I guess so, but we always have dinner on Wednesday night. Can't we just wait until then?"

"Yeah, Wednesday. That's fine. Have a good weekend, Jake."

"You too, Bells. Travel safe back to civilization."

I exhale deeply after he disconnects.

A throat clears behind me. "Another important personal phone call. Tsk tsk."

Did he just "tsk" me?

"I thought you said that I should be allowed to have a personal moment?" I shoot back.

"I'm not sure. I may want to recant that statement."

"Why, Mr. Cullen, I thought you said your word is stronger than oak."

His face grows serious. Got him.

"Of course, take all the personal time you need, Miss Swan. I'll see you at the party."

His eyes catch mine and I'm entranced for a moment by the intensity. They're alive and vivid and green...so so green.

"I...uh...um, I'm going to look for Esme. You know, to see if she needs any help." I stammer and pull my eyes away from his.

"Oh, yeah, sure. I think she is in her greenhouse out back."

I smile my thanks and walk out of the back door. I am actually excited for the chance to see Esme in her element. From what I can tell, she is an incredible landscape artist and I am looking forward to seeing her in action.

I walk quietly into the greenhouse, not wanting to disturb Esme if she is working. The plants that surround me are amazing, and there are so many varieties. The fragrant flowers in their clay pots look like something found in a painting, their vibrant colors that take my breath away.

"Well, hello there, Darlin'! What brings you to my little sanctuary?" Esme startles me and I spin around.

"I'm sorry, Esme. I didn't mean to disturb you. Are you busy? I can let you get back to your work, if I need to." Esme quickly grabs my hand. "Don't you dare leave! I feel like we haven't spent much time together lately. Besides, I need some help!" She laughs and pulls me to a work table that is covered in pots of various shapes and sizes, as well as, many bags of soil. She hands me a pair of work gloves and I put them on, not really knowing what is expected of me.

"Relax, Sugar. We're just transplantin' these flowers I have potted here to my garden on the south side of the house. You can do that, can't you?"

"Sure, I guess. You'll need to tell me exactly what to do, though. I'm kind of lost...when it comes to planting." Lost. That's a word I can use to describe myself at the moment and I'm not just referring to my task at hand.

Esme, being the Cajun-mother-mind-reader that she is, seems to sense this.

"Bella, is there something you'd like to talk about? Don't get me wrong, I love that you are willing to help me with my plants, but I have a feeling that is not the real reason you came looking for me." She hands me a potted flower and begins walking to the garden.

I quickly follow and decide to open up to her. She already feels more like a mother to me than Renee and I can't help but want her insight into my life.

As I tell her about my parents, including Charlie's feelings about the south and their impending divorce, and my relationship with Jake, Esme remains quiet. She seems to be so lost in her work, digging holes to be filled with her beautiful flowers, I wonder if she's heard anything I've said; but I know better.

"Bella, why don't you go ahead and gently take your plant out of its pot."

I slowly and very carefully twist and pull until the flower and its surrounding soil are out of its previous home and laying delicately in the palm of my hand.

"Good job, Honey. Now, run your fingers over the bottom of the plant to loosen up it's roots." I do as she says, trying my hardest not to break anything. "Did you know you can tell how well a plant will take to its new environment just by looking at its roots?" Esme asks.

"No," I answer, "I really don't know much about plants or flowers."

"It's really simple, actually. If the roots are strong, then the plant will thrive. Sometimes, though, the roots look weak or unhealthy and you might think of giving up on it but all it really needs is to have the old soil brushed off. Well, that, plus some water and love from my _son_.."

I quickly look up at Esme. "Wh-what did you say?"

"The sun, Dear. Plants have to have light from the sun in order to grow. Don't you Yankees know that?" She winks at me. I'm not sure what is going on but I might need a glass of water to help clear my head.

"Now, Bella, I'm gonna tell you a little secret. Once you know that the roots are good and healthy, you can plant them _wherever you want_ and they'll thrive."

I sit back and take in Esme's information, knowing she is talking about the plants, as well as, my life.

"Honey, your roots are ready. You don't have to wait any longer. You can plant them now." When I don't move quickly enough, Esme speaks again. "Bella, I said, you can plant your flower in the garden now; they're ready."

I look up at her and quickly wipe away a tear I wasn't aware was falling until it hit my cheek. "Oh! Of course! Yes, Ma'am, I'll plant it right here, I think."

"You _think_?" Esme raises her eyebrow.

A huge smile covers my face and I answer confidently, "No, I _know_."

"That's a good girl," Esme says as she pats my shoulder and then stands and walks back to the greenhouse.

Damn, she's good.

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**A/N:**

**Jenny Kate: **I might have cried my first little tear on this chapter...not like alligator tears or anything, just a little tear. I am an emotional one though. I get so sappy sometimes. Plus, you and I both know that divorce sucks...and douche boyfriends suck. I'm not sure what it feels like to not have any "roots", but I think that would suck too.

**Jiff**: I totally agree! Not having "roots" would suck big time. The only roots I want to be without are the dark ones poking out of my blonde hair. ;-) So, after reading this chapter, I realize that we are some wordy bitches! I mean, I know we are in RL but I hope it's ok with our readers that we are more into character dialogue than we are describing the scenery, know what I mean?

**Jenny Kate: ** If they are friends with us on Twitter, they know we're wordy bitches. If not, then they know now! We can NOT write a chapter without a bunch of dialogue. It's like me talking without my hands...not gonna happen! I personally, love reading stories with a lot of dialogue. I'd rather the characters tell the story themselves. KWIM? Hopefully, our readers will dig it too.

**Jiff:** Well, they seem to "dig" our story so far and I don't want that to end! We love our readers!

**Jenny Kate: ** Our readers are the shiznit. Sorry, I'm feelin' all gangsta today, since I'm in Cali...and just moments away from the "LBC" and "the 213"...Compton is just up the PCH. Am I throwing around too many acronyms?

**Jiff: ** Nah, you're good, BB! I'm glad you're having fun in Cali while I'm here in OK twiddlin' my thumbs...is that how you spell "twiddlin'?"

**Jenny Kate: **Is "twiddlin' your thumbs" code for something else? O.o

**Jiff:** No, that'd be "flickin' the bean!"

**Jenny Kate:** Yeah, just checking! *winks* We don't know how to write a "clean" A/N, do we? Always something about flicking, sucking, taking care of bidness...pervy hoors.

**Jiff: ** I know, we're such durty gurls!

**Jenny Kate:** I even made my Starbucks order sounds dirty today..."I'll take a venti...chai latte...and make that dirty...better yet, _extra dirty_"...and I might have even winked.

**Jiff:** You, Starbucks slut! You kiss your mama with that mouth?

**Jenny Kate:** I kissed you with this mouth! Bwahahahahahaha.

**Jiff:** *crickets* *avoids eye contact*

**Jenny Kate:** We better wrap this shiz up before we lose readers. Leave us some love...pretty please, with Edward on top! Let us know what you think about the story so far...who's your favorite character, besides Cajunward? We love hearing from you guys...and we always reply back! (Wordy bitches, remember?)

***Mad love to our pre-readers, soulmates, and favorite bitches Smitten_RPattz and allthingsHHH***


	8. Uninvited Guests

**Disclaimer: **We do not own Twilight or any of the characters. Once upon a time, Stephenie Meyer had a dream...that one day all vampires would be created equal. We also do not own Uninvited Guest, but we'd like to...especially their cute guitarist! We love band boys. *swoon* We do, however, own Cajunward's ass and we love it! It's such a nice ass.

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Standing in my closet staring at the row of shirts, it should be easy for me to pick out something to wear. I mean, it's just a damn party. Oh, and my birthday, but that's nothing to get all worked up about. I narrow it down to two blue shirts. One I know Tanya would prefer, it's button-up and pretentious...just like Tanya. The other, is v-neck and casual. I go with casual. If for no other reason, than to piss her off.

She really rubbed me the wrong way the other day when she was such a bitch to Bella. I've been blocking her advances all week, but she doesn't take a hint...or a direct hit for that matter. I told her point-blank that I'm not interested. She laughed and said "Oh, Eddie...you're so funny when you play hard to get." I swear, the engine is runnin' but nobody's drivin'. And she fuckin' knows I hate that "Eddie" shit, but she does it anyway. Gets my blood boilin' just thinkin' about it.

I'm gonna need a SoCo and coke...or two, to be able to handle Tanya tonight.

"Hey, Bra. Ready?" Emmett peeks his head into my room.

I pull my shirt over my head and slip my feet into some flip flops. Bella told me earlier this week that no one really wears flip flops in the city...especially men. She gave me this crooked grin when she said it. She really has no idea what she does to me and I'm not sure if I should tell her. I think it would give her too much power over me. That's the reason I never commit; it scares the hell out of me for a woman to have the power to crush me. I know myself. I know that when I love, I love hard. I just haven't found a woman worth risking that kind of heartache over yet.

Besides, she's leaving in two days. There's no sense in making this harder than it already is because, let's face it, I'll miss her.

"Yeah, let's go get our grub on."

"Rose is going to be here." Emmett says with a smile on his face.

"Well, I figured she would be. Half of French Settlement will be here."

"I know, but J had said Carter is sick, so she was thinkin' about stayin' home, but I guess she decided to come anyway."

"Yeah, she wouldn't miss my birthday. It's a national holiday!" I look over at Em and he cuts his eyes at me. He's got it so bad for Rose. I wish to hell she'd open her eyes and see how good her life could be, if she'd just stop bein' a stubborn ass and realize she loves him too.

Those two fought like cats and dogs when we were little. Then right about the time it'd make sense for them to be together, as more than friends, Rose decides to be hell on wheels. If anyone said she should do one thing, she did the other. So, Rose hooking up with Em never happened, because that's what everyone else wanted. I think it was what Rose wanted too, but she just wasn't ready to admit it.

Rose went off to college and wasn't gone a year before she was back home...and pregnant. I know Rose wouldn't change her past for anything. She knows that Carter is the best thing that ever happened to her. He helped her grow up and become responsible. She definitely wouldn't be the woman she is today without him. Besides, we all love the little guy.

I think now she just assumes Emmett doesn't want her, but she's wrong. I worry about him. I'm afraid he'll never get married or have a family. He gave his heart away to Rose so long ago, I don't think he could ever get it back, even if he wanted to.

I give Emmett a little push as we get to the bottom of the stairs. He turns around and throws me over his shoulder.

I give Emmett a little push as we get to the bottom of the stairs. He turns around and pulls me into a headlock.

"Dammit, Em. Let go. I'm too old for this shit! Cut it out."

He's laughing as he turns towards the kitchen. "Free birthday spankins!"

"I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"Empty promises, E. Yer not really in the right position to make threats like that."

"I swear to all things that are good and holy, if you don't let me go..."

"You're not swearin' to anything holy. What is going on in here? Have you two lost all the sense the good Lord gave ya? We have company, remember? I suggest you act like you've got some manners...or I'll personally kick both of your asses. Now, leave your brother alone, Emmett. Both of your grab a bowl and help me finish gettin' all the food set out." Mom gives us _the_ look before heading back out the doors that lead to the patio.

Emmett sets me down and I get in one good punch before he gets away, laughing his ass off. He thinks he is so damn funny. "Punkass."

"Such language. Where are your manners?" Emmett teases.

"I don't recall anyone having any manners around here!" Rose says as she and Jasper walk into the kitchen.

"Who the hell let you two in? Imma have a chat with Tyler. He'll just let any old riffraff in these days." I give Jasper a one-armed manly hug.

Rose eyes Emmett, while Emmett tries to act like he's not checking her out. If she didn't seem like a sister to me, I guess she'd be hot. She's so tall that, if she fell down, she'd be halfway home. She has the same light brown hair and blue eyes as her brother Jasper and I know most guys dig her. She definitely gets enough attention...some wanted and some unwanted.

"Happy Birthday, Edward." Rose says.

"Thanks, Ro."

"So, do I get to meet the famous Bella Swan tonight? Everyone in town has been talkin' about her all week."

"Yeah, she'll be here. I mean, she is here...somewhere. Her best friend, Alice, is here too. She flew in from Birmingham today."

"Chuck has a best friend that lives in Birmingham?" Jasper asks.

"Yeah, she just recently took over as Editor for Southern Living. She's the one who called Bella to come down here and do the article on the plantation. They used to work together in New York."

"Huh. She cute?" Jasper raises an eyebrow at me.

"Who's cute? Are y'all talkin' about me?" Tanya pipes in as she saunters into the kitchen.

"We definitely ain't talkin' about you." Jasper says in disgust. He doesn't even try to hide how much he can't stand her.

"Oh, bite me, Jasper." She snaps her teeth at him and gives a crazy laugh as she walks over to me.

This girl is half a hamburger from a Happy Meal.

She runs her finger down my chest and it sends chills down my spine, making me shiver. She misinterprets my body's reaction to her touch. "I know you've been missin' me, Eddie, and I plan on givin' you the best birthday present of yer life later tonight." She leans over to whisper in my ear. "I'm not wearin' any panties."

She turns around and shakes her ass as she walks out the doors onto the patio.

Jasper gags. "I just threw up in my mouth."

"Tanya Fucking Denali," Rose mutters in disgust, as she shakes her head. "Let's go outside. I need some fresh air." Rose walks out the back doors and we all follow her.

The party is in full swing as we step outside. The sun is just setting, and the evening air is cool and refreshing. I start to make my way over to the food, but stop in my tracks. I see my Uncle Laurent talking to my dad. I know that wherever Laurent is, James and Victoria are sure to follow. I thought this was supposed to be a fun evening. It's my damn birthday, for crying out loud.

I know my mom didn't invite them, but she didn't have to. Laurent is the police chief and he thinks he's above any laws or protocol. Hell, I'm pretty sure he thinks he's above God on most days. No one says no to Laurent...and Laurent never says no to his children.

I scan the area for signs of James or Victoria. I don't think they'd try anything with all these people here, but I will feel better once I have them on my radar.

"Lookin' for somebody?" I turn around to see my dad standing beside me.

"Just takin' inventory of the guest list."

"Laurent has some nerve showing up here tonight. He sure knows how to push your mother's buttons...and yours, but you need to keep the peace tonight, Edward. It's not the time to air the dirty laundry."

"Trust me, Dad. I'm not going public with that shit. I don't want to do anything to ruin our chances of permanently solving that problem."

"We're not going to discuss that right now." He gives me a pointed look.

"I know." And I do know. One of them overhearing anything about the case, and we'd be done for. Laurent would make sure of that. He's covered plenty of tracks in his 30 years as police chief; it's something he's very good at. If he knew what my dad has been working on for the last six months...well, I'm kinda scared to think about it. I'm sure he would have taken care of it. Made "it" go away...regardless of who got hurt in the process.

Hell, James has got off with a slap on the wrist for stealing cars, burning houses, doing drugs; and that's just naming the stuff I have witnessed. I'm pretty sure he killed a guy one time. No one ever found the body or evidence and James has never spent a second behind bars for any of it.

His most recent claim to fame is a lucrative drug trafficking business that he was running out of my restaurant. I gave him the damn job because he's family and my dad says that's what families do...you look out for each other. Next thing I know, I've got a bunch of Feds banging down my door.

"We need to talk in the morning. I've got some things to go over with you and Emmett."

I nod in agreement and silent understanding. I decide to not let the troublesome trio interrupt my whole night, so I head back over to the food. After I get my plate filled, I find everybody sitting at a long table. I immediately spot Bella. She looks beautiful, as usual, but tonight there's something a little more special. I don't know if it's her hair or the fact she's wearing a dress, but she looks stunning and I want to tell her so.

I sit down beside Jasper. He's fully engaged in a conversation with Alice.

"Woman, the Rolling Stones are like the gods of music. They wrote the bible on music. Their lyrics are legendary. Mick Jagger has written the best songs of the 20th century!"

Alice shakes her head, closes her eyes, and breathes deeply. "Have you honestly ever listened to Snoop Dogg's lyrics? His music is influential...it moves people. Have you read his book? It will change your life. Did you know that he's in the process of writing a Smokeable Songbook? That in itself is progressive and innovative..."

"Are you trying to tell me that a dope smokin', dreadlock wearin' rapper is more influential than Mick Fucking Jagger?" Jasper cuts off Alice's rant.

"Precisely. And it's braids, not dreadlocks," Alice answers in a sweet as sugar voice and flashes Jasper a...gang sign?

I can see that Jasper is beginning to boil. His face is red and the color is slowly moving down his neck. He usually doesn't let things get to him, but when he starts to turn colors, you better watch out. I just sit back and enjoy the show.

"Tell me one thing that Snoop Dogg has ever written that really changed people's life...something relevant to real life issues."

"Get your money, Man, it's hard out there."

"And what is the great and powerful Snoop trying to tell us?"

"He's saying that money issues are difficult and that you have to be independent and assertive. You know, do what you have to do to get by...it's like a 'power to the people' kind of statement. Oh, and there is 'when the pimp's in the crib ma drop it like it's hot.' That is some of the best relationship advice you'll ever receive."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Jasper is looking at her like she fell out of the crazy tree and hit every branch on the way down. He runs his hand down his face, trying to collect his composure.

"So, what about your Mick Jagger, huh? What kind of world changing lyrics has he written?" Alice retorts.

"You can't always get what you want."

"Apparently, you don't know me very well." Alice shoots back.

"No. That's the lyrics, sweet heart. Mick Jagger wrote 'you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find...you get what you need.' I think those lyrics apply to everyone at some point in their life, and are some of the most influential lyrics ever written."

"I'm sure you do get everything you want, but, Alice," he lowers his voice, "do you get what you need?" He asks her, as he leans closer to her chair and stares into her eyes.

Alice looks as though she's in a trance.

That suave son of a bitch. He just turned a heated argument into a pickup line. If he could bottle that shit up, he'd be a millionaire.

"Well, on that note, I'm going to go gorge myself on some of Esme's cherry pie, unless I find a pint of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey and a bag of Doritos on my way," Bella says as she stands up and walks off.

Man, do I love watching her walk away. Not that I don't enjoy her company, but her departure offers a lovely sight to behold. Bella's ass is a work of art.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of red hair and close behind that, the person I've been looking for all evening. Not because I want to see him, because I don't. I just want to keep an eye on him.

Victoria and James are standing over by a large group of people that includes Laurent and some of his cronies from the police station, just puppets on Laurent's strings. They're all just as crooked as he is.

I only trust one guy that works down at the station, and that's Riley. He's a good guy, a few years younger than me, and he refuses to play by Laurent's rules. If Victoria didn't have the hots for him, he'd be a goner.

Riley isn't interested in Victoria for much more than what I'm interested in Tanya for...a good lay, but he doesn't let Victoria or Laurent know that. I think it's ironic and funny as shit that he plays them the way he does.

James appears to make eye contact with Bella as she walks by, and then he follows her with his eyes until she disappears into the house.

I walk over to say hi to Riley and try to get closer to James, when I'm stopped by a few guys who work at my dad's law firm. I'm not paying close attention, because I'm trying to keep an eye on my target. "Edward, you didn't answer, Son. How's the new venture in Baton Rouge going?"

"Oh, fine, Sir. It's turnin' out to be a solid investment. Emmett and I are real pleased with it so far. Y'all should stop by next time you're in the city. Drinks on us."

"Alrighty then, we'll take you up on that! We won't keep you from the festivities. Enjoy yourself!" Mr. Jenks pats me on the back. "Thank you, Sir. I will. Glad y'all could make it out tonight." I shake a few hands and hurriedly get back to my tracking.

Just as I spot James again, seeing him walk through the french doors that lead back into the house, Tanya attacks me from out of nowhere. I try to peel her off of me, when I catch a strong whiff of tequila, and realize she's drunker than Cooter Brown.

Fuck me a runnin'.

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**Being "as drunk as Cooter Brown" or being "drunker than Cooter Brown" are Southern sayings I've heard all my life. I googled it to see where it came from and, supposedly, it refers to a man (not sure if he was real or just a myth) who didn't want to fight in the Civil War. Every time someone would try to recruit him, they would find him drunk. ;-) ~Jiff**

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**A/N**

**Jiff: **Uh oh! We have a cliffie! Hope we don't lose any readers!

**Jenny Kate**: Well, it's not like we left them at second base or anything. It's like a mini cliffie...we just left them hanging on the side of a hill, not a mountain. It's fun to shake things up a bit! ;)

**Jiff**: Yeah, ok, YOU can be in charge of responding to the reviews this time!

**Jenny Kate:** I guess I owe you, since I was in Cali when the last chapter posted. Be ready to get a lot of "Oooops, sorry for the cliffie. Tune back in Saturday!" I don't know why, but I'm not feelin' very sympathetic. Maybe it's lack of sleep.

**Jiff**: Maybe you're still hung-over from Cali...

**Jenny Kate:** Maybe I'm still IN Cali? Maybe I was more wasted than I thought?...kidding. I must say, it is good to be livin' on Tulsa time. I missed my Jiffy Lube and my Cajunward. I was having SoCo withdrawals!

**Jiff**: It's good to be breathing the same Oklahoma air with you again! All though, I think I took care of CajunWard rather well while you were gone...

**Jenny Kate:** I'm sure you did, bb! It is a well-known fact that you give good oil changes! ;) Speaking of Cajunward, how is everyone feeling about the story? What is that damn James up to? Don't you just hate when he shows up in a fic? You just know trouble is waiting in the wings. We'd love to hear what you're thinking so far! Responding to your reviews and tweeting with you guys are highlights of our day! If we don't follow you on Twitter, let us know...or come find us!

We'd like to give a small shout-out to a local Tulsa band, **Uninvited Guest**, the inspiration for our chapter title! They are one of our favorite local cover bands here in the TUL! We'd also like to give a good hard ass slap and boob grope to our pre-readers, **Smitten_RPattz and allthingsHHH**. They've both met us in person now and they're still our friends. Thanks guys! We love you!


	9. Southern Hospitality

**Disclaimer: We do not own Twilight and stake no claim whatsoever to Steph Meyer's characters. We do, however, love taking her characters and planting them in the south. Let's pick up where we were last chapter. I think Bella was going to look for some pie...**

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I think the Louisiana heat is getting to me. Why did I just make that stupid comment about gorging myself and then stomp off? It's not like me to make a scene like that and pout just because my best friend fell into a lustful trance right before my eyes. I mean, I've seen Alice flirt with guys before; I have even walked in on her giving a guy head before...accidentally, of course, so why did her exchange with Jasper bother me so much?

I should not be jealous. Alice is single and beautiful and wonderful...and single. I clench my eyes and ball my fists, trying to calm myself. I want to be single. Well, I just don't want to be with Jake any more, not necessarily "single." I am not ready to leave French Settlement, but I find that I am more and more ready to go back to New York and end things with Jake.

I relax my hand, open my eyes, and let out a deep breath. Now that my inner tantrum is over, I realize that I really would like something sweet to eat, so I walk into the kitchen to see what I can find. Instead of pie, I find Esme. She has her hair pulled back into a ponytail and she's wearing her sunglasses on top of her head. Her sheer top, worn over a lacy tank, and capris make her the perfect picture of a relaxed hostess, but when I see her slam down a shot of clear liquid and blow the alcohol burn out of her mouth, I know that she is not as calm as she appears to be.

"Esme? Can I help you with something in here?"

"Yes! Bella, you can help me empty this bottle of vodka! Come have a shot with me!"

"Oh..okay. Is there anything in particular we are drinking to?"

"No, Sugar, I just need to calm my nerves. Everything is going fine, don't you worry. I just hate it when we have _unwanted_ guests. This is Edward's special day and I want it to be perfect. Unfortunately, not everyone here feels the same. You see, Bella..." she looks out the window, "Oh, _fils putain_! I swear, that Mike Welch is nothin' but a damn _couillon_! I'm gonna beat his ass!" she yells as she rushes out the patio doors.

I do not know what this Mike Welch person has done, but I say a quick prayer under my breath on his behalf, and throw in a sign of the cross, for good measure.

"I'm sorry," a deep voice says from behind me. "I didn't mean to interrupt prayer time."

I spin around, slightly startled. A tall, muscular blond-headed guy is on the other side of the kitchen leaning on the counter.

"Well, well. Aren't you a looker?" He lets out a smooth laugh.

"Excuse, me?"

"I said, you're a fine piece of ass." He says matter-of-factly, as he leans forward and takes a few steps toward me.

Oh, no he didn't. What the fuck? "Listen, I don't know who the hell you are and I would hate to be rude to one of the Cullen's guests, but you better watch your mouth." I snap back at him. He's kind of giving me the creeps, so I'm not even trying to make nice.

He walks with more purpose as he clears the gap between us. Now he's standing so close, he's invading my personal space...and I'm starting to freak out a little. I take a step back and run into the counter, accidentally knocking the half-full bottle of vodka over in the process.

"Shit." I hate that I've made a mess, but I'm thankful for the distraction. I slip past the asshole and turn to find a towel to wipe up the counter.

A strong hand grabs my arm and spins me back around. "I'm not done with you yet, Honey."

"Well, I'm done with you!" I say as I try to pull out of his grip. When I realize he isn't going to let go without a fight, a hint of fear creeps in and my heart starts to pick up speed. "What the fuck is your problem?"

"I don't have a problem, unless you're gonna try to get away from me again." He smiles at me, before leaning forward and running his nose down the side of my face, inhaling deeply as he goes. "You smell delicious." All I can smell is the distinct aroma of alcohol on his breath.

"Get your hands off of me." I say in a low, seething whisper, trying to keep my composure. There's a quiver to my voice, part from fear and part from being so angry. Tears start to collect behind my closed eyelids. I hate that I cry when I'm mad.

"I don't think so. I always get what I want and tonight I want you. I think you'd have a lot of fun too, if you'd just relax." He starts rubbing my other arm. "I could make you feel good," he says into my ear, keeping a firm grip on my other arm.

I decide it's now or never, so I put my free hand on his shoulder. Then, I give him a swift kick in the balls and make a run for it. I don't turn back, but I can hear him gasping for air behind me and then I feel a sharp pain in the back of my head, followed by glass shattering. I stumble forward and fall to my knees.

My vision is a little blurry. I reach around to soothe the ache and feel dampness. Blood. Shit. The dizziness starts immediately. I crawl closer to the back doors, closer to safety...closer to Edward, but before I can get too far, he has me by both arms, pulling me back. I can't get my bearings enough to fight back and it's pissing me off.

"You little bitch! Did you think you would get away? Huh? Answer me! No one, and I mean, NO ONE gets away from me. You do as I say..."

"James, get your mother fuckin' hands off of her," Edward roars from the back doors. I feel relief flood through my body and the pain in my head becomes more evident. Before I can find my footing to stand on my own, I'm dropped to the ground.. The voices around me are loud, but I'm having trouble making out exactly what they are saying. Everything is fuzzy for a minute.

Slowly, things start to come back in focus and I look up to see Edward with this James guy up against the wall. "If I ever see you even touch a hair on her head, I will kill you." Edward says through clenched teeth. I've never seen him angry. "You may think that you are above the law and that you can have and do whatever you want, but that shit stops where Bella is concerned. Stay the fuck away from her."

"Oh, Edward. You see, that's where you're wrong," James says cooly. "I don't just _think_ I'm above the law, I _am_ above the law. Seems like you'd realize that by now. I'll walk away from here tonight and no one will be the wiser. Does your little girlfriend know that you're wanted by the Feds? Maybe she'd change her mind about you, if she knew what kind of shit you've gotten yourself into. When you're done with this one, why don't you send her my way. I actually wouldn't mind to have a go at your sloppy seconds for once."

Edward pushes James into the table and food goes everywhere. They slide on the table and roll off onto the opposite side. I think about getting up and helping Edward, but the pounding in my head says otherwise. I can't really see what's happening and I'm worried that Edward is going to get hurt.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Emmett's voice booms through the back doors. Thank God. Edward stands up and has James by the neck. He's still struggling, but knows that it's futile with Emmett standing just feet away.

"Take this piece of shit outside. I'm gonna check on Bella." Edward says as he hands James off to Emmett.

Emmett looks over in my direction and his face hardens. "You mother fucker!" His hold on James tightens and I think that he might pass out from lack of oxygen. Fine by me. Emmett drags his ass outside and Edward makes his way over to me.

**Part Deux - EPOV**

I'd like to kill James right now, but all I can think about is getting to Bella. I finally get the upper hand and pull his ass up off the ground, when Emmett walks in through the back doors.

I shove James over to Em and tell him to take him outside, while I check on Bella. Sliding back over the table and around the counter, I kneel beside her, so I can look into her eyes.

"Bella. You ok, baby?" She tries to sit up, but I can tell that she's still shaken and maybe a little dizzy. "I'm going to go get my dad."

"NO! Don't leave me. I mean, I'm fine. Really. I don't want you to make a big deal out of this."

"It _is_ a big deal. James will pay for this." I breath deeply and run my hand through my hair, in an effort to calm down. "He had no right to put his hands on you or even talk to you, for that matter. It's a big fucking deal, Bella. He attacked you and he hurt you. I don't even want to think of what could have happened if I hadn't walked in when I did..."

"You _did_ walk in, and I'm grateful, but if you hadn't, I would have still been ok. I'm a big girl. I know how to take care of myself, Edward." She winces as she tries to stand up. I force her to sit back down. Looking at her face, I know she's right. I see the determination in her expression.

"I know you can take care of yourself, Bella, but you shouldn't always have to. It's ok for someone else to do that job every once in awhile." I brush the hair out of her face and tuck a strand behind her ear. Her eyes glisten and I'm worried that she's going to start crying, so I distract her by brushing my thumb down the side of her face. I notice what looks like some blood and I get real fucking worried.

"Bella, are you bleeding?"

"Oh, yeah. Um, the back of my head, but I think it's small. It just really hurts."

I gently push her hair to the side and it's not small, it's a big damn gash on the back of her head. "What the hell? Did James do this?"

She swallows hard and nods. "Right before you came in, I was crawling toward the back door and all of a sudden I felt a sharp pain on the back of my head."

"Dammit! Mother fucker..."

She touches the spot and pulls her hand back around. At the sight of the blood, she sways. "Bella, are you ok?"

"I just get a little woozy at the sight of blood."

I need to get her some help, but I don't want to leave her here. One, because she asked me not to. And two, because I want her with me. So, I scoop her up and start carrying her outside.

"Edward, what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm going to find my dad. You probably need stitches and it wouldn't hurt to get your head x-rayed while we're at it."

"Well, my legs aren't broke. You can put me down!"

"No I can't. I can't let you get hurt anymore than you already are and I've seen you fall over an invisible crack before."

She lets out a heavy sigh and gives up on the argument of her walking on her own. I reach the small crowd that's left and my dad spots us immediately.

"Edward, what is going on? I saw Emmett dragging James around the side of the house. Is there something I need to know about?"

"Yeah, but first, Bella probably needs some stitches and then I'll tell you the rest. Well, the rest of what I know. Bella will have to give you the whole story."

"Esme, call Dr. Cope! Tell him to meet us at his office in ten minutes!" My dad yells across the yard. My mother comes running and her eyes land on Bella. "Oh, God. What happened? Are you ok, sweetheart?"

"I'm fine, Esme. Edward is just making a bigger deal out of things than he should. Could you please convince him that I can walk on my own?" She pleads with my mother.

"Edward take her to the car." She says, without even considering Bella's pleas. "Your dad and I are right behind you. Let me tell Emmett what's going on. They can meet us in town as soon as the rest of the guests leave." She turns toward the few stragglers who are left mingling, "Party's over, people! Thank you all for comin' tonight..."

When we get into town, Dr. Cope is at his office waiting on us. "Carlisle. Esme." He greets my parents. "Edward, what do we have here?"

"Hey, Dr. Cope. This is Bella Swan. She's a family friend who has been staying with us."

"I'm so sorry they made you come out in the middle of the night like this." Bella chimes in. "I'm sure it's nothing that a quick cleaning can't handle."

"I'll be the judge of that, Dear. Let's get you checked over."

Bella insisted on going back alone. I was pacing the floor, when Alice busts through the door. "Where is she? Is she breathing? Shouldn't we go to a hospital?" She's on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. We've only just met this afternoon and I'm not sure what to say to calm her down.

"Uh, I think she's going to be fine. Dr. Cope is a really good doctor."

Jasper and Emmett walk in. They both look at me with concerned expressions. "Hey, how's B?"

All of a sudden, Alice bursts into tears. I turn around and look at her and then I look back at Jasper and Emmett. We all just stand there and stare at Alice. None of us handle crying women very well. I look at them and they look at me. Finally, Jasper makes a move toward Alice.

"Shhhh." He starts to rub her back. "You know, Darlin'. I'm sure Bella is going to be just fine. Would you like us to ask Dr. Cope if you can go back there with her? Would that make you feel better?"

Damn it. Why didn't I think of that?

Alice sniffles. "Yes, that would be great. I just need to see her and make sure she's ok. Bella doesn't handle blood well and I just don't want her to think she's alone or anything." I hear the sincerity in Alice's voice and it just lets me know how close she and Bella must be.

Jasper gets the OK from Dr. C and Alice disappears behind the door that divides the waiting room from the exam rooms. I wish I was back there too.

I watch the clock on the wall tick away five minutes. Five minutes turns into fifty minutes and finally Alice walks back through the doors looking much more calm and collected than when she went back. She gives a small smile to Jasper.

"So?" I hate to interrupt their moment, but I need to know if Bella is ok. "How's Bella? Is she ok? Did she need stitches?"

Alice gives me a funny look. "Dr. C said she's going to be fine. She just can't be left alone tonight. She has a concussion and she had to have seven stitches."

Bella walks out with Dr. Cope following behind her. He steadies her with his hand on her back and I have a strong urge to remove it. I feel protective over her for some reason...and maybe a little possessive or jealous? What the hell is wrong with me?

As we all pile in the front door, mom makes sure that Bella is ok with climbing the stairs to her room. She offers her their bedroom downstairs but Bella refuses, of course, which I'm happy about. She'd be further away from me and it would be harder for me to check on her during the night. Alice has already insisted that she'll be the one to watch Bella for the night, making sure she doesn't have any bad side effects from her concussion.

I can't sleep. So, I use the ninja skills that I developed over years of practice from sneaking out of the house, to check on Bella during the night. I walk just far enough until I can hear her and Alice talking. As soon as I hear their voices, I go back to my room. I repeat the maneuver about 5 times throughout the night, each time Alice and Bella are talking softly. I can't make out what they're saying, but it's very monotone. No high pitch squealing or giggling. I think about going closer to the door and eavesdropping, but I know I'd feel horrible about it later if I heard anything too personal, so I refrain.

Sleep must have taken over at some point; something in my dreams startles me awake. I look over at the alarm clock and it says it's three o'clock in the morning. What if Alice fell asleep? What if Bella is sick and needs help? I jump out of bed and forget my ninja skills. Almost sprinting down the hallway, I run smack dab into a wall of muscle and almost piss my pants. "Damn it, Em! You scared the shit outta me. What the hell are you doin'?"

"Shhhhhhh. Keep your voice down!" Emmett whisper yells back to me. He motions with his head to follow him downstairs. When we reach the bottom of the stairs, there is a light on in the kitchen. Turning the corner, we see dad sitting on one of the bar stools with a big piece of chocolate cake and a glass of milk in front of him. He jumps a little as we walk in and holds his chest.

"Holy hell. You boys scared the shit outta me. I thought your mama was getting ready to bust me." Emmett and I can't contain our laughter. We're both leaning over the counter trying to keep it down, so we really don't wake Mom. Although, seeing her bust dad's ass for the cake would be pretty entertaining.

Emmett stands up and wipes his eyes, gathering his composure. "Ahhhhh, that was some funny shit, Dad. You shoulda seen yer face."

"What are you two doing awake at this time of the morning anyway?"

"Well, uh...I was uh..." I start, trying to think of a good excuse for being up at three in the morning.

"He was on his way to Bella's room." Emmett interjects and gives me a grin wider than the cheshire cat.

"Where the hell had you been? Huh?" Not denying his accusation, but putting the ball back in his court. "I ran straight into him coming down the hall." I point at Emmett. I swear I'm havin' deja vu. It's like that time we were caught sneaking back in the house after meeting Tanya and Irina over at the boondocks.

Dad turns his stare from me to Emmett.

"Yeah, well, I had gone to check on Bella." He scratches the back of his head. "I woke up and heard someone crying. So, I had to go check on her. I walked down to her door and listened. Alice was in there with her, of course. I heard Bella saying something about James grabbing her by her arms and that she was scared. I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what, so that's when I was walking back down the hall to my room and I ran into Edward."

"He did what?" I yell, forgetting that we're trying to not wake up the whole house. I lean over the counter and lower my voice, "I'm gonna kill that mother fucker. I swear to God..."

"You'll do no such thing, Edward. We will not be like them. We're Cullens. We abide by the law. James will get what's comin' to him. That whole damn family will be behind bars before all this is over, if I have anything to do with it...and I do. You have to leave our fight with them in the courtroom. It's the only way we'll win."

Dad, Emmett, and I decide that we'll just let Bella tell us what happened in her own time. We don't want to push her for any information. None of us really want to have to hear it, knowing we'll want to kill James when we do, and that's just not an option right now. Death would be too easy of an out for him. He deserves to rot in prison for the rest of his life for all the things he's done.

* * *

**Cajun Glossary: **

_**fils putain **_(fee pe-tone) - Son of a bitch! This is one of my favorite Cajun cuss words!

_**couillon **_(coo-yawn) - Idiot! Another one of my favorites!

* * *

**A/N:**

**Jenny Kate: **Man, Google is being a bitch tonight...and what the hell is James' malfunction? What a douchebag!

**Jiff:** I always knew that James was a slimy bastard! What does everyone think James was talking about when he said that Edward is being investigated by the Feds? Is it true or was James just trying to distract Edward?

**Jenny Kate: ** *dundundun* It's gettin' a little interesting down here in French Settlement. ←-I felt like I was saying that like the dude that does the voice part on the Dukes of Hazzard.

**Jiff:** OMGosh! I had such a crush on the blonde guy...John Schneider!

**Jenny Kate:** Bo Duke! Me too! Before Twilight and Edward, there was Dukes of Hazzard and Bo and Luke Duke! *swooooony* The way they jumped in the window of that car. Mmmmmm Mmmmm mmmm. So good, make you wanna slap yer mama. Speaking of mamas, Happy Mother's Day (tomorrow) to all those who celebrate!

**Jiff: ** Yes! Happy Mother's Day to you, JennyKate, and to Mama Esme, my favorite Cajun Mama! I can say that because my mom is not Cajun, even though I am from Louisiana! :-)

**Jenny Kate: **We'd love to hear from you guys. Your reviews are fuel for the fire. I never knew what fic authors meant when they said that reviews would get chapters out faster, but now I get it! Reviews have become mine and Jiff's personal brand of heroine. Whether you review or not, just know that we appreciate the hell out of you for just reading and giving our story a chance!

**Jiff:** Yep! What she said! We love and appreciate all of you so much and we are having so much fun sharing our story with you!

**Shout-out to Ludacris for the awesome chapter title inspiration. **


	10. Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad

**Disclaimer: *cue broken record* We do not own Twilight or the characters. We do own a can of whoop ass that we'd like to open on that douchebag James. Don't worry, he'll get what's comin' to him. Karma is a bitch. Let's see what's goin' on down in French Settlement...**

* * *

**(BPOV)**

I feel like shit.

The pain in the back of my head is radiating forward, causing a dull ache in the middle of my forehead. I am sore from my shoulders to my wrists and I have bruises on my knees.

I look like shit.

My eyes are red from crying and I'm so tired, I have bags under them the size of my suitcase. Only, these bags are not colorful and pretty; they are black and ugly.

I still can't wrap my brain around what happened last night. One minute, we were all eating, drinking, and having fun. The next, I'm lying on the floor of the Cullen's kitchen, barely coherent and bleeding from a gash in my head.

I knew that James guy was a douche the first time I heard him talk, but I never thought he'd attack me like he did. I've had to tell off jerks before, and last night was not the first time I'd ever kicked a man in the nuts, but in those instances, my self-defense made the guys back off and leave me alone.

But not James. I could see in his eyes that he was not going to take "no" for an answer.

I like to think of myself as being self-sufficient, even tough when needed, but I couldn't keep the fear at bay last night. I got this sick feeling that I was not the first woman to be physically assaulted by that asshole.

I was so pissed...I'm still pissed. I guess that's why I keep crying, which pisses me off even more. My eyes get my emotions confused and I tear up at the wrong time. As Alice and I talked things out last night, I would just periodically burst out crying. I think it freaked Alice out. She's not used to me being so emotional. Maybe it's the concussion?

I let out a heavy sigh, looking at myself in the bathroom mirror. I splash cold water on my face a few times and I brush my hair and teeth, trying to make myself look and feel more human.

I am definitely going to need a nap today.

Alice was the perfect nurse last night, keeping me awake, making sure I didn't have any bad side effects, and listening to me rehash what happened. I figure the least I can do to repay her kindness is let her sleep for a few hours so, I tiptoe down the stairs and into the kitchen, not sure if anyone else is awake yet. I'm startled for a brief moment when I see someone there already.

It's Edward.

He is sitting at the breakfast bar with his head on the counter and from his deep breaths I can tell he is asleep. I should leave and let him rest, but instead, my feet pull me closer to where he is.

I really want to touch him. I want to brush the back of my hand across his cheek and run my fingers through his hair. I don't allow myself to want any more than that. I am in no position to want anything from Edward other than his friendship.

He looks so peaceful as he sleeps. His face is relaxed and almost boyish looking, if it weren't for the stubble of hair on his jaw line. It is very different from his face last night, when he walked in on my confrontation with James. He was furious, when he looked at James, looking like an animal attacking its prey; but when he looked at me; his face was full of worry and concern.

I felt immediate relief the moment I heard him demanding James to let me go. Oddly enough, I didn't even know the name of the asshole with his hands on me before then. I shudder at the thought and try to push it out of my mind.

I decide to make myself useful, and as quietly as I can, I start making a pot of coffee. The glorious smell of coffee began to fill the kitchen, and I was just about to pour myself a cup, when I hear Edward softly say my name.

I spin around, clutching my chest. "I'm so sorry, Edward! I didn't mean to wake you!"

He rubs his hands up and down his face a couple of times and stretches his arms over his head. "S 'okay. You can make it up to me by pourin' me a cup too, if you don't mind."

He gives me a sleepy grin.

"Sure."

When I hand him his cup, he asks, "How are you feelin'?"

I shrug, "Ok, I guess, nothing that some aspirin and a nap won't help."

"I'm glad you're ok."

"Listen, Edward, th-"

Emmett comes bursting through the kitchen, interrupting me, "E! Oh, hey Bella! I didn't know you were up." He turns back to Edward. "Guess what? We are goin' to town today!"

I can't imagine why he is so excited about this news and Edward seems to feel the same.

"Emmett, what the hell are you talkin' about?"

Emmett sighs and looks like he just explained the answer to world peace to a couple of toddlers...and Edward and I are the toddlers. "I mean, we, as in everyone in this house, are going to the "Red Stick" for some good ol' fun today!"

"Em, we go to Baton Rouge all the time...what's the big deal?"

"Because, Bra... Mom and Dad are even going!" Edward and I are still looking at him like he has a third eye in the middle of his forehead, so he continues. "Come on, Man, think! It's Saturday...our parents are going with us to the city to chill out." He pauses. "Meaning we don't have to go to church tomorrow!"

You'd think Emmett had just found out he was getting an early Christmas present.

"Really, Em? You're this excited about skippin' mass?" Edward laughs.

"Edward, when was the last time we skipped mass with Mom and Dad's permission, huh? Yeah, never! We can actually kick back and relax on a Sunday morning. Not that I don't like goin' to mass or anything, but sometimes you just need a break, ya'know?" His eyes dart around the room, and then he quickly makes the sign of the cross.

"Hey, I wonder if Rose could go with us."

"Well, if Rose is goin', then Jazz is goin', too. I imagine he'd love to spend some more time makin' googly eyes at Alice. Whatcha say, Chuck? You up for a road trip and some more sightseein'?"

After a long, much needed nap, we are all packed and standing in the Cullen's garage, getting our car arrangements settled. We argue for at least half an hour over who is going to ride where before it is finally decided that Emmett, Rose, Carlisle, and Esme will ride together in Esme's SUV and Alice will ride with Jasper in his Corvette. That leaves Edward and me together in his truck...alone for 30 minutes.

I'm not sure how I feel about that. Part of me is excited to spend more time with him, getting to know him better; another part is dreading the drive, not wanting to discuss what happened last night even though I know it's inevitable.

The logical side of my brain says that I should insist on riding with Alice, because it knows what a bad idea it is for me to be in that close proximity with Edward alone. It is still aware that I have a boyfriend in New York who I will be seeing in less than 48 hours. Then there is the other side of my brain, let's call it the hormonal side. It has forgotten about what's his name and is only concerned about being in a confined space with Edward during our drive, in  
hopes that he will accidentally put his stick shift between my legs.

I realize at that point that everyone else is in their respective vehicle. So, there's no time for a  
debate.

Edward opens the passenger door for me and then places our bags in the back seat of his truck. Alice and I are both flying out of Baton Rouge tomorrow, so I have to bring all of my luggage with me. I can't believe I've been in French Settlement for a week already. I have loved being here and, despite the previous night's event, I'm not ready to go home.

Is that what New York is? Home? After being here, I'm not sure about that anymore.

"And we're off." Edward says, interrupting my inner dialogue.

For a few minutes, we drive down the road in a comfortable quiet. I try to soak up as much of the green as I can, not knowing when I'll be here again. I'm really going to miss this place.

I need to take advantage of this alone time with Edward. There are some things that have been on my mind since the altercation with James. I feel like now is the time, since I have him in close confinement. "Edward, the-"

"Bella, I wa-," Edward begins at the same time. "I'm sorry, you first."

"No, go ahead," I say. "I can wait." I guess.

"I just thought that since we have a few minutes by ourselves, maybe we should talk about what happened last night." Edward glances over at me briefly, but intently.

"I really don't know where to start."

"I don't want to pressure you, Bella, but it's really important for me to know as much as you can tell me. There is a lot you don't know about James."

"Well, I was just standing in the kitchen talking to your mom, when she left to go take care of something. I still had my mind on what she and I had been talking about so, when he came up behind me, it caught me off guard." I don't want to relive the whole thing, but know we need to discuss this.

Taking a deep breath and letting it back out, I begin again. "I'm used to people making rude, suggestive comments. I have to stand up for myself quite often living in a large city. I thought he was one of your guests and I didn't want to offend anyone, but when he put his hands on me, I got scared. At that point, I was ready to do what I had to do to get away from him. I tried to walk away, but he grabbed my arm so tight and I couldn't get by him. So, I did the first thing that came to mind and kicked him in the balls. It was just enough for me to get past him and run for the back door, but then he launched that damn Grey Goose bottle at my head. After that, things are a bit fuzzy...well, and then you walked in," I finish.

We sit in silence for a few minutes. I look over at Edward out of the corner of my eye and can see that same ferocity in his eyes as the night before. He looks angry. HIs hands are gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles are white and he is taking deep breaths like he is trying to calm himself down. His features are hardened and he is just staring straight ahead, as we drive down the road.

"Is that all that happened?"

"Yes."

"So, he grabbed you and hit you with the bottle," he says through gritted teeth. "Did he hit you anywhere else?"

"No."

"Did he...you know, touch you anywhere else?"

"You mean sexually?" I look at him and he looks away uncomfortably. "No."

He lets out a deep breath. "Bella, you can be honest with me. I just need to know everything."

"I said that is everything," raising my voice a little in defense of his accusation that I'm not telling him the truth. It's kind of pissing me off.

"If you're finished with the Spanish inquisition, I have a few questions of my own."

* * *

**Part Deux (EPOV)**

I'm relieved to know that James didn't do anymore than he did...it was enough. Enough to make me want to kill him with my bare hands. I'd like to do to him what he felt like he had the right to do to Bella. I've been a witness to plenty of his indiscretions over the years, but for some reason this one, in particular, made me see red. I am having a hard time concentrating on anything other than my plans to murder James. I know my dad would never allow that. We've discussed his future enough for me to know that my dad has bigger plans for James. He intends on James rotting behind bars with no chance at parole and I don't want be the one to mess that up. I'll have to keep myself in check when I see James again.

Bella asked, in a quiet voice, "Edward, what was James talking about when he said that stuff about you being wanted by the Feds?"

Damn it. I was kind of hoping she hadn't heard any of that shit. James and his big fuckin'  
mouth.

"You really don't want to know all of that shit, Bella. What you need to know is that James is a liar and he has lived his whole life thinking he is above the law, which in the small world of French Settlement, he has been, but not anymore."

"Are you in some kind of trouble?" She pauses. "Like you said to me, you can tell me  
anything. I'm not trying to judge you or accuse you. I just want to know."

"Bella, it's not something I want you caught up in. I'd worry about you more than I already do, if you had information and certain people found that out."

"You worry about me?" She looks straight at me with those big brown eyes that I could get lost forever and a day in.

I look back at the road, so I can focus. What the hell am I supposed to say to that?

"No. Well, yes. I mean, sorta...recently. Yes, I guess I worry about you." Fuck. "Listen, I know I've only known you a week, but I feel...I don't know…protective of you. I hate to think about you livin' in that big ol' city all alone...er, well, I know you're not technically alone, but..." Shit. Here I go runnin' my damn mouth. "I'm aware that you have a boyfriend or whatever, but I get the feelin' that you are pretty much on your own. It just worries me. That's all."

I try to steal a glance at her out of my peripheral vision, but I can't tell what she's thinking. She's just staring straight ahead at the road...biting her lip.

"You don't have to worry about me, Edward. I've been taking care of myself for a lot longer than I've been living on my own. Just because James got the upper hand on me, doesn't mean I'm not capable of taking care of myself. I've dealt with fuckers just like him and have been very successful."

"See, that's the thing. You shouldn't have to. It's not right for a beautiful woman to live all by herself in an overpopulated, crime-filled city."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." She turns completely around in her seat, so that she's facing me. Her eyes are wide and she looks pissed.

"What?"

"What? Just because I'm a woman I don't have the right to live in a "big ol' city" all by my weak, little self?" She rolls her eyes.

"I didn't say that. I'm just saying that it's dangerous."

"That's what you were insinuating." She huffs, as she flops back in her seat.

We arrive at the hotel and I pull in beside Jasper. Bella gets out of the truck before I can barely  
put it in park.

I get out and grab the bags out of the back seat.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that you pissed Bella off," Alice says, with her hands on her hips.

That feels rhetorical, so I just keep walking toward the hotel entrance.

"Want some help?"

"No, Alice. I think I can manage three bags. Thanks anyway."

"I'm not talking about the bags, silly."

"Oh, well...I, uh...I'm good."

"Ok. Do it the hard way. Hope you have lots of patience," she says, as she shrugs and walks ahead of me.

Jasper catches up to me, carrying his and Alice's bags. "So, you managed to piss Bella off in the thirty minutes it took us to drive here?"

"Shut up, Jasper."

We walk into the lobby of the hotel and my parents meet us by the elevators.

"We've got three rooms. One for us, one for you boys, and another for the girls. I expect all of you to be on your best behavior," my mom says, as she starts passing out room keys. Am I sixteen all over again? There is something horribly wrong with this picture. Before I can say anything, she and my dad slip in an elevator and leave the six of us standing there speechless.

"Damn it, Em! I told you this was a bad idea."

"Awe, come on, Edward! It's brotherly bonding time! It'll be fun." Why the hell does he always have to find something positive out of every fuckin' situation? It pisses me off.

The girls take one elevator, with all their bags, and when I say "all their bags", I mean a shit load of bags. Too many for a night in Baton Rouge. We catch the next elevator up, and meet the girls in the hallway. Our rooms are right next to each other. Bella glances over at me, but refuses to speak.

We're just getting settled in our room, when my phone rings. It's Liam letting me know that they'll have our table ready at the restaurant by seven o'clock. I call mom and dad to let them know. I let mom call the girls' room. I'm not ready to talk to Bella yet.

Dad meets us down in the bar for a few drinks while we wait on the girls to get ready. It's not too crowded, so we find a table over in the corner and order a round of SoCos. I down my first one in two drinks. I let the warmth of the liquor sooth my nerves and hopefully give me some clarity.

"Something on your mind, Edward?" Dad looks at me over the top of his glass. Emmett and Jasper are nursing their drinks and giving me similar looks.

"Nope. Just needed a good drink."

"Mmmm hmmm. Ok. That's fine if you don't want to talk about it." And I know it would be, for him, he'd let it go until I was ready to talk about it. My dad isn't pushy.

"He pissed Bella off on the way up here," Emmett spouts off and gives me a smirk, shaking his head.

"Thank, Em."

"No problem, Bra. I always got your back."

I breathe through my nose and slowly sip my second drink. "She thinks I'm being a male chauvinist or something."

"How do you figure?" Dad asks.

"Did you tell her she should be barefoot and pregnant or something?" Emmett chimes in.

"Shut the hell up, Emmet. No. All I said was that it's not right for a woman as beautiful as Bella to live in an overpopulated, crime-filled city like New York. It's dangerous. I was trying to tell her that I'll worry about her when she leaves and goes back home. It just got all messed up and she got pissed. End of story."

"Edward, if there's one thing I've learned in my 55 years, it's this... if it's got tits or tires, you're gonna have problems with it. The important thing is how you handle those problems."

He raises his glass and we all toast. "To tits and tires!"

Two things I know for sure.

One, I need to talk to Bella.

I don't know when or if I'll see her again after tomorrow, and I can't let her leave being mad at me.

Two, I don't want her to leave.

I don't know how to get her to stay. I'm sure nothing I could say would make her want to stay, but I'd like to try, or at least say enough to get her to come back.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Jenny Kate: ** I can think of a few things he could do to get me to stay...I mean, Bella...things he could do to Bella to get her to stay. ***daydreams of things Edward could do***

**Jiff: **Snap out of it, JK! We have to finish these A/Ns. Daydream on your own time!

**Jenny Kate:** Oooooo, someone is feeling bossy today. I like it. ***winks***

**Jiff:** Yeah, I thought I'd try it out...I kinda like it, too! Did everyone have a great Mother's Day/Rob's birthday?

**Jenny Kate:** AND SWATH Premiere! Man, it's been a busy few days in the fandom! My Mother's Day/Rob's Birthday was great. I must admit. I'm ready for a little down time.

**Jiff:** I hear ya. It's a busy time of year but at least we have CajunWard to distract us! Not only are we thankful for the reviews you guys leave, we also want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has "favorited" this story and put us on alert! We heart y'all big time! MWAH!

**Jenny Kate:** I'd just like to second that and add in a few ***bewb gropes* **and ***ass slaps***.

**Thanks to _The Grateful Dead_ for the perfect chapter title. **


	11. Bump and Grind

**Disclaimer: "Attention SoCo Readers, JiffyKate does not own Twilight, nor do they stake any claim to its characters." However, Jiff has a nice shiny coat of Cajun Shrimp nail polish by OPI on today! *we are not paid for these advertisements, but we wish we were* If anyone has figured out how to get paid for talking nonsense on Twitter and writing fan fiction, please let us know. We would be perfect for the job. We've got resumes and references, the whole bit.**

* * *

**(BPOV)**

"So, you like my brother?"

God, I love Rosalie. She's so blunt and to the point. It's good for Alice. She needs a little of her own medicine every once in awhile.

"Yes, I do." Alice says matter-of-factly.

Rosalie stands to her full height, towering over Alice. "I want to know your intentions. Is this like some fun little weekend fling? Do you find a boy toy in every city you're in? 'Cause, if you're plannin' on fuckin' him and leavin' tomorrow without any intentions of callin' or coming back, don't. I kind of like you and I would hate to have to hunt you down and kick yer ass."

Alice stands firm. "Well, I guess it's a good thing that I don't fuck until the third date, and since we haven't even technically been on one date, my ass should be safe. But you should know that I can hold my own. I may be short, but I'm gangster. Don't let my size fool you." Alice spins around and marches out of the room, letting her fuck-me stilettos do the talking, as she disappears into the other room.

"That girl is a walking oxymoron." Rosalie says, looking at me in the bathroom mirror. She goes back to touching up her flawless face.

I laugh a little, because she just summed up my best friend in one sentence. "So, what's with you and Emmett?" If she can grill Alice, then I think I should be able to get a few answers myself.

"Nothing. We're friends. Old friends."

"Are you sure about that?" I ask, chancing a quick glance at her in the mirror.

She pauses as she's putting on her lipstick, and sets the tube on the counter. She turns around and leans against the counter. Crossing her arms, she lets out a heavy sigh. "Listen, without going into a long ass story, just know that Emmett and I have history, but that ship sailed long ago...6 years ago to be exact. I have Carter now, he's the only man in my life these days and probably will be for a long time to come."

"So, there used to be something between you and Emmett?" I ask, pressing for information.

"I used to think I would marry Emmett." She turns back around and goes back to applying her lipstick, like she just told me the day of the week or something.

"Does Emmett know this?"

"I don't know for sure, but I suppose he might have felt the same at one point in time."

"But you think he doesn't anymore?"

"I know he doesn't."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Bella, what part about me having a kid did you not understand? You seem like a smart woman. I'm sure you can put all that together."

"Just because you have Carter?"

"The Cullens are a very God-fearing family and they are committed to their Catholic beliefs. I'm sure I'm not the ideal bride for their oldest son," Rosalie says with a harsh tone.

"Well, from what I've seen of the Cullens in the past week, I think more than anything, they just want Emmett and Edward to be happy. Esme and I had a talk the day before Edward's birthday party and we started out talking about her gardens and designs. Somehow we went from talking about plants and flowers, to roots and family. I can tell you that Esme wants what makes her boys happy. I've never known anyone who cares about family like she does."

Rosalie gets a sad look in her eyes and drops her head. "I want to believe that something is still there between Emmett and me, but it's been so many years, I just don't see how he could still feel the same way about me."

"I think you should let Emmett be the one to make that call."

Raising her head and looking at me through the mirror, she smirks a little. "Why do you care so much?"

"I don't know. I can't explain it, but in the last seven days, the Cullens have felt more like family than anything I've known in the past twenty-six years. Emmett feels like the big brother I always wanted, but never had. I just want him to be happy is all. I see the way he looks at you. I thought I should tell you. I know I'd want to know if someone looked at me that way...like I just hung the moon."

Before Rosalie can say another word, Alice walks back into the bathroom and announces that everyone is waiting downstairs.

I'm nervous as we make our way down to the hotel bar where all of the Cullens are waiting. I'm still irritated with Edward after our talk in the truck and I haven't allowed myself to think about everything that was said between us. The entire time we've been at the hotel, so far, has been spent talking with Rose and Alice and getting ready for our night out. I could really use some alone time to clear my head, but its not a possibility right now.

We walk into the lobby and my eyes immediately find Edward sitting at the bar with Carlisle and Emmett. Damn. Why does he always have to look so good? As I walk a little closer, I notice that he's wearing a pair of dark jeans that fit just right and a black button-up shirt with the long sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His hair is messy, as usual, effortless and perfect. He licks his lips after finishing his drink and it's almost good enough to make me forget why I am mad at him. Almost.

He may be gorgeous and tempting, but I can't let him get away with being such a chauvinistic bastard. Ok, that might be a little harsh. Deep down inside of me, somewhere, I _might_ think that it is sweet that he admitted to worrying about me. No one has ever worried about me before, other than my parents. It caught me completely off guard, so I lashed out. I didn't know how to react. I mean, I can't let him know I have feelings for him. Not yet, anyway.

"There you ladies are! Y'all are looking mighty fine tonight. Ready to hit the town?" Emmett booms from the bar.

"Just where are you taking us?" Alice asks.

"FIrst, we are going to eat some dinner at Fleming's. Then we plan on dancing the night away at _THE_ hottest nightspot in Baton Rouge, Little Bit." Emmett nudges Alice with his elbow. Oh, Emmett. I internally shake my head. "It's a fairly new place called Bump n Grind and it's owned by the two _hottest_ brothers in southeast Louisiana!"

Alice glares at him. "Don't call me 'Little Bit' and I'm not from here, remember? I don't know any hot brothers in Louisiana, unless Jasper here has one that he hasn't told me about," she smirks.

Emmett looks absolutely wounded, even though everyone else starts laughing. "Me and Edward own the club, for your information. And, I can't believe you think Jazz is hotter than we are!"

"Oh, come on, Em. Everyone knows I'm hotter than you. I'm in a fucking band!" Jasper slaps Emmett on the back, while laughing loudly.

I glance back at Edward and I catch him looking at me. Before either one of us can say anything, Esme tells us that we need to leave, otherwise we will miss our reservation.

Dinner is uneventful and delicious. The conversation pretty much stays on Edward and Emmett and their several business ventures in the area. I'm thankful for this, because I'm genuinely interested and also because I don't want to discuss the car ride in mixed company.

When I first heard that the name of Edward's and Emmett's club is Bump n Grind, I mentally rolled my eyes at the suggestive title, but once I step inside, I realize it fits the place perfectly. It is a very classy dance club decorated in mostly black, red, and silver. It's stylish, but not pretentious. The atmosphere is very laid back. There are many bars surrounding the room, stocked with the finest of liquors, and thanks to the old-school style "booty music" playing, the huge dance floor is covered with sweaty bodies. It is the perfect blend of uptown sexiness and downtown raunchiness.

I have to admit, the Cullen boys know how to operate a business and have fun at the same time.

As soon as we walk in, we are ushered to the VIP area and Alice, Rose, and I make our way to the ladies' room to freshen up. Carlisle and Esme went back to the hotel after dinner so, it is just the six of us at the club. While touching up my lipstick, I decide I am going to enjoy my last night in Louisiana to the fullest. I want to drink. I want to dance. I want to talk to Edward. While we were at dinner, and I was on my third glass of red wine, I realized that I overreacted to what Edward said in the truck. Now I need to, not only apologize for snapping at him, but try to explain why I reacted the way I did.

I fluff my hair, push up my boobs, and make sure my skirt is covering my ass, before I walk out of the bathroom and head straight to the bar for some liquid courage. It feels like a Patron kind of night, I think.

"Hey, Bella! What the hell are you doing buying your own drink at the bar? Get yer happy ass over here and give your order to the waitress. Let us Cullen brothers show you a good time!" Emmett is standing by a large table, yelling his instructions to me, while Rose is trying to pull him into his chair.

"Dammit, Emmett! Can't you see you're embarrassin' her? She's already pissed at your brother for bein' a pig, don't you start now!"

I feel my blush travel from the top of my head down to my toes as I carry my tequila shot and beer chaser to the table. I slam my shot without salt or lime and throw my head back as the liquor burns a trail down my throat and stomach. When I straighten up, my eyes immediately find Edward's, and again, he is looking right at me. This time, though, his green eyes seem sad and confused and I know it is my fault.

"Can we talk?" I ask him. No time like the present, right?

"Sure," he nods and stands up, grabbing his beer. "Let's sit at a table away from the group so we can have some privacy and actually hear each other."

I follow him to a small table on the other side of the VIP room and sit down. After taking a drink from my beer, I begin to speak.

"Look, Edw-"

"Bella, I ne-" He says at the same time.

I giggle, "You went first last time...its my turn to start the conversation."

He gives me his smirk and concedes. Damn, I'm going to miss that smirk.

"I want to apologize for how I acted in your truck this afternoon."

He interrupts me, "No, Bella.." I put my hand up, stopping him. "Please, let me get this out." He sighs and nods his head, allowing me to continue.

"I was raised to be a strong, independent woman. I am used to taking care of myself and I do a great job at it, if I say so myself. Outside of my parents, I have never had anyone concern themselves with trying to protect me. Well, besides Alice. Jake doesn't even say anything about me walking the city streets by myself at night; it's just not how our relationship works. So, when you said you worried about me being in "the big city" all by myself, it caught me off guard. It also pissed me off to hear that you don't think I can take care of myself. I take pride in doing for myself and I'm not used to anyone wanting to do anything for me." I stammer, "N-not that I'm saying you _want_ to do anything for me... I just didn't like feeling like you needed to worry about me because I'm some weak, helpless woman."

Edward doesn't take his eyes off of me the entire time I am speaking, and when I finish he immediately grabs my hand. It's shocking to me but it feels so damn good to be touched by him, I leave my hand where it is.

"Bella, you have nothing to apologize for. I'm the ass who made you feel like you are less than what you really are. You're the strongest, bravest woman I know, outside of my mama, and I never meant to imply that you aren't. I was raised to be a southern gentleman and to take care of the people who matter most to me."

My heart stops beating at his words and he can see the shocked expression on my face. "Yes, Bella, you matter to me. I know you are leaving and I know you have a boyfriend, but I can't help wanting you in my life, in whatever way I can have you."

I take a deep breath to get my heart moving again, and when it starts, it feels like it is going to beat its way out of my chest. I look into his eyes and they are intense, with no lies to be found.

"Like I said today in the truck, I feel very...protective of you and the thought of you being in New York, or anywhere, without me...it kills me."

I break away from his gaze and take a drink from my bottle. "I appreciate your concern, Edward, but like I said before, I don't need a guardian." So, what? He just wants to protect me, like a sister or something. He doesn't mean what I want his words to mean. He's just being a nice guy.

Before either one of us can speak again, Alice runs up to the table. "Bella! Can't you hear what's playing? It's my jam! Come dance with me!" She pulls me from my chair and I finish my beer.

When I look back at Edward, he is rubbing his face with his hands and it looks like he is cussing to himself. I throw my bottle in the trash can and follow Alice onto the dance floor.

As the lyrics to "Gin and Juice" fills the room, I start to dance and clear my head. I was stupid to think Edward wanted me to be more than just a friend. But, why can't I be his friend? I mean, we all need friends, right? I would just have to stop myself from being attracted to him and then we could be best buddies. Ha! As if that could ever be possible! Shit, what have I done to myself? I'll be better once I'm back in New York. Yeah, home sweet home...God, I'm delusional.

I close my eyes and start losing myself to the music, when I feel someone's hands firmly grab my hips. My eyes open and I spin around, ready to punch the jackass that is touching me, when I see that it is Edward.

"Bella." I stop dancing and just stand there, staring up at him. "I don't want to be your guardian or your protector. Right now, I don't even want to be a southern gentleman."

Shit. I swallow and lick my lips. "What do you want, Edward?" I say loudly, over the music.

He brushes my hair away from my face and cups my jaw. "You, Bella. I just want you." Before I can let his words sink into my brain, his lips are on mine. Firm but soft, they instantly mold to my lips. He's giving me slow, sensual pecks, but I need more. He has awakened the passion in me that has been dormant for too long. My hands grab onto his hair as I lick his bottom lip, asking permission for entry. He opens his mouth and groans as I slide my tongue inside. I feel one of his hands in my hair, as the other one finds and grabs my ass. I lean my head to the side, so that our kiss can deepen; and now I am the one groaning.

Best. First. Kiss. Ever.

Edward slowly pulls away and I open my eyes to see that we are still standing in the middle of the dance floor surrounded by moving bodies. I want to go back to where we were. Now. But Edward looks ashamed. That can't be good.

"I shouldn't have kissed you. Not while you have a boyfriend." He rubs his thumb over my bottom lip.

"It's ok."

* * *

**(EPOV)**

I've laid in bed all night thinking about that kiss. I shouldn't have done it, but I felt like it was now or never. There is no way in hell I'm letting Bella get on that plane and not ever seeing her again. I'll apologize forever and a day for kissing her while she still has a boyfriend, before I let that happen.

Besides, if I read her body language correctly, she didn't mind. In my defense, I wanted to do a lot more than kiss that pretty mouth of hers. So, basically, you could say I took the high road.

Her lips were so damn soft. I could have stood there on that crowded dance floor kissing her all night long and the next night. The way she leaned into the kiss and latched onto my hair, it was enough to wake my cock right up, as if he wasn't already. He's been standing at attention since the day she got here. I'm definitely going to need to change my own oil, if I'm going to get through hanging out with Bella all day without embarrassing myself.

I have somewhere I'd like to take her and her plane leaves in six hours, so I hop up and jump in the shower.

Exactly an hour later, I knock on the girls' hotel room door. I could have been here sooner, but I had to take care of business, if you know what I mean.

"Hello, Edward. Did you bring breakfast?"

"No, Rose. I didn't bring breakfast. Is Bella here?"

"I'm sorry. I can only give out that sort of information to someone with substantial food in their possession."

I try looking over and around her shoulder, but I can't see Bella. Have I mentioned that Rose is tall? Damn Amazon.

"So, where's Bella?"

"Uhhuhuh, Edwardo. No foodie, no Bella. Now, scoot your cute little ass along and find us some breakfast and I'll see what I can do about finding you a Bella."

"Are you shittin' me?"

"No, I'm not shittin' you. I never joke about breakfast."

Rose shuts the door in my face and I have no other choice than to turn around and head toward the elevators. Breakfast it is. When I get downstairs, I notice a Starbucks in the hotel lobby, so I order up some coffees of varying degrees of girliness and a multitude of breakfast items. With my hands loaded down, I head back upstairs with my ransom.

I kick at the door with my foot and Rose opens it on the second kick.

"Where did you have to go? Tenbucktwo?"

"You're asking for it, Amazon. Here's your damn breakfast. Now, where's Bella?"

Rose holds the door open further so I can walk through. "Put everything on the table. She'll be out in a minute." She grabs one of the coffees. "Mmmmmm. Caramel Macchiato. You did good. I was expecting some hotel lobby coffee and donuts from the vending machine."

"Rose." I clutch my chest for dramatic effect. "I'm genuinely hurt. You know me better than that."

"Yeah, I know that you must really like Bella. Any other time, you would have told me to fuck off and find my own damn breakfast." She smirks.

"So, what? Was this some sort of test?"

"No. Just wanted to make you work for it a little bit."

"Work for what?" Bella steps out of one of the bedrooms looking gorgeous, as usual.

"Uh, nothing. Breakfast?" I say, gesturing to the spread of Starbucks on the table.

"Well, that's so sweet of you to bring breakfast."

I glare at Rose from across the room, realizing Bella has no clue about the hostage situation from 20 minutes earlier.

"Yeah, he's so sweet. Gotta love, Edward. Always the gentleman," Rose says from her spot on the couch, as she stuffs her face with a bagel, like nothing is wrong with this picture. She is a piece of work.

"So, Bella..." deciding to change the subject. "I was wonderin' if you'd like to do a little sightseein' before you leave?"

"Absolutely, I'd love to. Just let me grab my camera!" She leaves the room to get her camera and runs back in grabbing a pastry and coffee. "Bye, Alice! See you at the airport!" she hollers into the next room. "Rose, you and Emmett are coming to say goodbye, right?"

"You know it, Sweets. We wouldn't miss seeing you and Short Stuff off. We'll see you at the airport in a few hours. Don't worry about your luggage, we'll bring it with us."

"Thanks, Rose!"

We walk out of the hotel room and into the hallway. The elevator dings and Bella and I step inside. As the doors close, she starts to fidget. I'm beginning to realize she does that when she has something to say. "Go ahead, spit it out."

"What? I didn't say anything."

"No, but you want to, so..."

"Are you some freaky mind-reader?"

"Yes, one of my many talents." I give her a little wink.

"Yeah, um, so I was just wanting to say that the kiss last night was..." She pauses. I should rescue her and tell her that I'm sorry about that, but I'm not, so I don't. "Well, it was the best first kiss ever. I know I should be sorry or feel bad or something, but I don't. I'm glad you kissed me. So, um, thanks for that." She nervously spits out the last sentence as the doors open and she hastily walks off the elevator. She doesn't bother to turn around and notice that I'm not behind her until she gets to the front doors of the hotel. Turning around, she sees me back by the elevators and I can't contain my chuckle. She is so damn cute it hurts.

"Are you coming or what?"

"Right behind you, beautiful."

She rolls her eyes and slides her sunglasses down to cover them and the slight blush on her cheeks. I wonder where else she blushes. I'm hoping it's more places than just her cheeks and I'm hoping I get to see it one of these days.

On our drive down to the campus, I look over to see Bella relaxing and just enjoying the view. "You wanna know where we're headed?" I ask.

"No, just surprise me."

I chuckle again. "O-kay." So trusting and so comfortable, even after the kiss from last night, which could have made things awkward. We look like we could be just any couple out on a Sunday drive, but we're not. Bella is leaving later today and I've got to make the couple hours we have together count so, I'm going to take her to my favorite place on campus and just enjoy her company for as long as I can.

I pull the truck into the parking lot closest to the quad.

"So, where are we?"

"Well, right now we're in the parking lot."

"Ok, smart ass. Where will we be once we leave the parking lot?"

"I'd rather show you than tell you."

Bella and I start walking toward the quad. She pulls out her camera and stops a few times to take some pictures. I don't blame her. The LSU campus is beautiful, especially during the summer when everything is in full bloom. I'm probably a little partial, since this is my alma mater, but I think most would agree. There are large, old trees hanging over the sidewalks that cast a welcome shadow during the afternoon sun. The architecture of the surrounding buildings has a classic southern flair.

"This is beautiful. Did you go to school here?"

"Yep, five years. Shoulda been four, but I sorta had a few too many extracurricular activities my first year. My dad said if it took me any longer, he would insist that I become a lawyer. That was enough to get me to buckle down and cut back on the extracurriculars."

"So, what was your major in? Did you always know you wanted to be in the restaurant business?"

"I majored in business, with a minor in American Literature; but no, I didn't know that I wanted to go into the restaurant business."

"American Literature?" Bella looks at me with a curious grin.

"Don't look at me like that. I like to read. I know it may come as a surprise to you, but I can be book smart when I want to be."

"I believe you, Edward Cullen."

"How about you, Chuck? Did you always want to be a photojournalist?"

"Actually, yes. Well, not right away, but I knew that I had to do something creative and I couldn't be stuck behind a desk all day. I've been handy with a camera since I was the photo editor for my high school yearbook. So, when I went to NYU, I started taking photography classes. My major is in journalism."

"You love your job, huh?"

"Yeah, I really do. It allows me to travel, use my mind, and be creative. It's everything I wanted out of a career. I have other aspirations, but they're mostly just dreams."

"Like what?"

"Enough about me. Tell me more about you and the restaurant business."

"No, I wanna hear the dreams." I stop her and turn her to face me, because I really want to know what her dreams are. We're at one of my favorite parts of the quad, covered in thick trees, with soft grass under our feet. I sit down in the grass and Bella follows my lead. Leaning back on my elbows, I ask her again, "Like what? What kind of dreams?"

"They're silly, really." She sighs and turns her head the other direction, looking at the large clock tower that hovers above us. "I love seeing my photos in magazines. It gives me a huge sense of accomplishment. I did that. I saw that with my mind's eye and I captured that moment in time. But the thing with magazines is that after a week or two, they're discarded, thrown out. I want to create something that people look at over and over. Something that they'll keep forever, maybe even pass on to the next generation."

"So, you want to do what? Make a book?"

"I know it's crazy. I would even consider writing a cookbook or at least taking all of the photos for one and helping someone else write it, or writing an entire book about a place like French Settlement. You know, like a picture book for adults." She laughs.

I could listen to her laugh for days. "I think that's a great dream. Not silly at all."

"I brought you something."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I meant to give it to you the night of your birthday, but well, we know how that ended."

"You didn't have to buy me anything for my birthday."

"I know I didn't have to, and I didn't buy you anything, technically."

She reaches into her messenger bag and pulls out a large envelope. "Here." She hands it to me and I notice something written on the front.

_Edward,_

_Thank you for showing me the beauty French Settlement has to offer. I hope all of your wishes and dreams come true._

_Happy Birthday_

_Chuck_

I reach in the envelope and pull out three black and white photographs. The first one is of Cullen Plantation, and it's the most beautiful picture I've ever seen. Even though it's my home, I've never seen it quite like this. The photograph is taken from down the lane where the trees are covering the drive. Our white two-story house sits at the opposite end of the lane. "My mama is going to love this. I mean, I love it, but she is really going to love this. Is this one of the photographs you submitted to the magazine?"

"Yes. A color version of it will be on the cover."

"Wow, Bella. You are really, really talented."

"There's more."

"Oh, right. I almost forgot." I put the first photograph back in the envelope and pick up the second. For a minute, I don't even realize that it's me I'm looking at. Then, I recognize my guitar and my front porch. I don't know what to say. I didn't even know she was there while I was playing my guitar.

"I probably should apologize for being a creeper, but I really love catching people when they don't know the camera is around. I didn't know you play the guitar."

"I don't, well, not for other people. I just play for myself."

"I'd love to hear you sometime."

I look up at her. "That would mean that you'll have to see me again."

"I plan on it."

"So, this isn't going to be goodbye forever when I drop you off at the airport?"

"I prefer, see ya later."

"Well, Ms. Swan. I do believe the good ol' south has rubbed off on you a bit."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Jenny Kate: **I'd like something from the south to rub off on me. His name rhymes with Bedward...and he looks like a guy whose name rhymes with Bob.

**Jiff:** I can't imagine who you are talking about. Your code names are hard to figure out!

**Jenny Kate:** So, it's not cumming to you? Here's a hint: He has an American girlfriend.

**Jiff:** Is it Andrew Garfield? Oh, wait, that doesn't rhyme with Bob... ;-)

**Jenny Kate: ** No, it doesn't. But he'll be over at my house later tonight, so maybe you can come over? I'll introduce you. ***wink***

**Jiff: **Sounds like fun! Can we watch a Twilight movie, too?

**Jenny Kate**: Yes! A Twilight Marathon and a sleepover! We'll wear our hair in pigtails and put on skimpy pajamas. We'll have pillow fights and jump on the bed without our bras on! It'll be sofa king fun! ;)

**Jiff**: Jumping on the bed without a bra...I'll bring the protective eyewear!

**Jenny Kate: ** So, I'm kinda loving this chapter. I hope our readers love it too! I know there is still a serious lemon draught in the south, but the citrus is cumming! We swearsies!

**Jiff: ** Yes, I know you are all thirsty, and believe me, we are parched, too, but have no fear! We'll be drinking some good ol' lemonade soon! Is that too much with the whole "lemon" theme?

**Jenny Kate:** I want a nice hard lemonade. ***wink***

**Jiff: **Yeah, you can tell we're suffering, too! I guess I should thank my hubby for beta-ing this chapter at the last minute while he was on his business trip! The things I ask that man to do, I swear...

**Jenny Kate: ** Yep, thanks Scooter! I knew we were BFFs for a reason! I'll have Jiff give you an extra oil change. A huge thank you to all of our amazing readers! You guys seriously rock our world. Thank you for the alerts, favs, reviews, and tweets! You make us so happy! Please feel free to leave us a review. If you don't have anything you want to say about the chapter or the story in general, just say "hi"! We'd love to hear from you!

**Jiff**: Also, come find us on Twitter and Facebook! We can be quite entertaining at times, we've been told! **jiffykatefanfic** **TrixieandTess jiffsimpson** and **JiffyKate FanFic** on fb!

* * *

**Jenny Kate's Fic Rec of the Week:** _Win Some Lose Some _(WIP) by Savage7289 - .net/s/7922076/1/Win_Some_Lose_Some

**Jiff's Fic Rec of the Week: **_Savior _(WIP) by Twilightbyus - .net/s/7512134/1/Savior


	12. Need You Now

**Disclaimer: A disclaimer by any other name is still a disclaimer. I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. This is what happens when Jiff leaves me to my own devices...nonsense talking, phone numbers on bathroom walls...it's cray-cray. Anyhoo, I'm supposed to be telling you that we do NOT own Twilight. Well, we own a bunch of Twilight shiz, but we don't technically _OWN_ Twilight. Steph Meyers does. We also do not own the characters, but does anyone really? I mean, they're like their own life force. Can they really be owned? #philosophicaldisclaimer**

**Onto Southern Comfort, and the chapter you've all been waiting for...Bella's departure. Where's that damn sarcasm font when you need it? We'll see you down south...get it? "Down South"...like at the bottom...or I could be talking about location? It's like a double meaning, which is like a double rainbow. Kidding. *don't look at me like that***

* * *

**(EPOV)**

The drive to the airport is quiet, but not awkward. You would think that we would have a lot to say, seeing that Bella is getting ready to leave without a guaranteed return, but it's like neither of us wants to discuss that. So, we sit in comfortable quiet while we make our way to the airport.

"You can just drop me off, if you want," she says with little conviction. "I'm sure Alice will be there waiting with my luggage. Our flights leave about the same time."

I don't even respond. I just pull into the extended parking.

"This really isn't necessary, Edward. You've done so much already."

"Not nearly enough. You have no idea, Bella, exactly how much more I'd like to do for you." I pull into a parking space, put the car into park, and turn it off.

I turn towards her and she just looks at me and purses her lips, like she wants to say something, but she doesn't. Instead, she leans forward and ever so gently places her lips on my cheek and then to my lips. It starts off slow, as if to say "thank you". After a few seconds, the amount of force behind the kiss increases. I don't know who is to blame for that, her or I, but the next thing I know my hands are on her face, caressing her soft cheeks. Her hands are in my hair, tugging and pulling me closer. The kiss goes from "thank you" to "I need you" or maybe it's "I want you", but it's definitely more than a friendly gesture. We stay locked in that embrace until we're both forced to come up for air. I just hold her face close to mine, not wanting to let her go. I don't want to let her out of this car or out of my sight. Not for a minute.

"I have to go."

"I know. I don't want you to."

"I know. I don't want to."

"So, don't. Stay."

"I can't. I have things to take care of and an apartment and responsibilities. My life is so complicated right now."

I breathe her in one last time, kiss her cheek and then finally let her go.

"I'm ok with complicated."

"This isn't goodbye, remember?. It's just 'see you later'."

When we get into the airport, my whole family is there waiting with Alice. Of course, my mom and dad couldn't let Bella leave without saying their goodbyes.

"Esme. Carlisle. I thought you two went back home this morning!"

"We couldn't just let you leave without seeing you off and thanking you for the terrific job you did on the article. Alice showed us the final copy and it's just wonderful!" My mom is near tears as she pulls Bella into a tight hug. "You just have no idea how much of a dream come true you are. I mean, the article and everything. I've always wanted the plantation to be in Southern Living. Thanks to you and Alice, you've made that dream come true! I couldn't be happier!" She squeezes Bella again.

"Thank you, Bella. It has been such a pleasure havin' you around this past week. I'm really sorry for the incident the other night." My dad gives her another hug.

"There is no need to apologize, Carlisle. That sort of thing could have happened anywhere. I'm just really glad Edward was there. You all have no idea how much this trip has meant to me. I needed a change of scenery and perspective; and I definitely got that here. So, thank you."

"You're welcome back anytime, Darlin'" My mom touches Bella's face. I see the bond that they have formed and it just makes me like Bella that much more.

Everyone else says their goodbyes. I think Emmett is about to cry. He's such a sap. Alice and Jasper have a chick flick moment in the middle of the airport. They seriously needed a damn room. I'm sure Alice is going to be a permanent fixture around these parts. Good thing I like her. She'll probably be surgically attached to my best friend before too long.

As the group begins to disperse, I look over to Bella. "So, I'll see ya later?"

"Yeah, I'll see ya later."

"Be careful in the Big Apple. And thanks again for the photographs...I really love them." I want to touch her so bad, my hand feels twitchy.

"I will and you're welcome." Her eyes tell me a million things that her words can't. They are so deep and expressive.

I turn around and make my exit. Leaving Bella standing there watching me walk away is torture. All I want to do is turn around and scoop her up and never let her go. It's like there is a magnet pulling me back to her. Not knowing when I will see her again is killing me.

* * *

**(BPOV)**

"So, you and Jasper sure did become quite friendly over the past few days," I say as Alice and I walk toward our terminals.

"He is so dreamy." Alice swoons.

"Alice Brandon! Are you in loooooove?" I tease.

"What? No! I'm just in deep, deep lust." She giggles.

"Did you have sex with him?" My voice changing to a more serious, accusing tone.

"No! You know me better than that! I do not have intercourse until after the third date. That is a hard and fast Brandon Rule."

"Look me straight in the eye and tell me that he didn't go below the belt."

"I can't do that. Besides, I'm a lady and I do not kiss and tell."

"Bullshit."

"What?"

"You heard me. Bull. Shit. You tell me every down and dirty detail, even stuff that I do not want to know and have to bleach my brain to get rid of."

"Well, it's different with Jasper."

I look her over and try to decide what she's hiding from me, but I notice something else. Her eyes are sparkling a little more than normal and she has more color than usual. It might be the southern sun, but I'm pretty sure that a Mr. Jasper Whitlock is responsible. I smile.

"What?"

"Nothing. As long as you're happy, I'm happy."

"I am happy, but you know what would make me even happier?" She looks at me, but doesn't give me a chance to respond. "If you were _truly_ happy. Do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"Do whatever it takes to make you happy?"

"Ok."

"Promise?"

"Pinky promise." I stick my pinky out and she does the same. We pinky shake on it, which makes it totally official. We've made it to my terminal and it's time for me to board my plane. I hate saying goodbye to Alice.

"Take care of you."

"Take care of you."

We hug tightly.

"I love you, B. Call me when you land."

"I love you, Al. I miss you already."

Sitting in my seat on the plane between Chatty Cathy and Evan the Elbows, I put my earbuds in and assume my New York don't-talk-to-me persona. I'm asleep before the flight attendant has a chance to tell me how my seat can be used as a floatation device. I dream about tall green trees, lush green grass, and deep green eyes.

The bumpy landing wakes me up and I suddenly feel alone. I'm sitting on a plane full of people, but it feels lonely. I can't shake it as I ignore everyone I pass and head toward the baggage claim.

Some people would probably think it's strange that my boyfriend of two years isn't here to pick me up from the airport, but that's just not how Jake and I are. We've never been the mushy, gushy kind of couple. We don't ever show PDA. If people don't know us personally, they would probably assume that we're just friends. We haven't even had sex in at least 3 months. It was probably on his birthday, and I don't even count it, because it was all for his benefit. Jake is not a generous lover. He makes sure he gets his, but very seldom makes sure I get mine. Mine usually comes via my friendly rabbit in my night stand. To say I am sexually deprived is the understatement of the century and after the week I just spent around Edward Fuck Me Cullen, I am also extremely sexually frustrated. These damn dreams I keep having about all things green aren't helping matters.

I grab my bags off of the carousel and head toward the exit doors. Once outside, I flag down the first taxi I see, stealing it from a guy in a suit. If he were a southern gentleman, he would know that it's ladies first.

"What the fuck, Lady? That's my taxi."

"Not anymore." I smile as I toss my bags into the back seat.

"Fuck you."

"Fuck you, too!" I say as I wave to him with my middle finger, slide into the seat and slam the door behind me.

Damn, it's good to be back in New York. Not.

Seth, the doorman at my apartment building, greets me as I get out of the taxi. "Bella, it's good to have you back!"

I give him a one arm hug. "Thanks, Seth! Have you been keeping this place in line while I was gone?"

"You know it, Boss! How was the south?"

"Hot, green, and absolutely gorgeous! Who knew there was so much beauty down there?"

"Sounds like you really enjoyed your assignment."

"So much I almost forgot I was on assignment," I say as I walk to the elevator.

"I'm glad to see you back and happy, Bella. The south looks good on you." Seth gives me his wide toothy grin, as he pushes the floor to my apartment. Something about his boyish charm reminds me of Emmett. For the first time in my life, I feel homesick, but I just got home.

My apartment is just as I left it. It feels good to be back in my own space, though. I kick my shoes off and put my luggage in my bedroom. I should call Alice before she calls me. I'm sure she knows I'm already home. I swear it's like she's clairvoyant or something.

"Hey, Bella! Home safely?" She asks as soon as I answer my phone.

"Hello, Alice. Yes, I'm at my apartment. How was your flight?"

"Short and sweet, just like me!"

"I'm glad. I miss you. Call me tomorrow?"

"You got it, babe."

Since I don't have an office to go into anymore, I spend Monday morning looking over the photographs from the last week that I didn't include in the article. Most of them are for my own personal enjoyment, but a few of them I would like to send to the Cullens. There are some gorgeous shots of the house and the property. There is one in particular of Edward and Emmett that I know Esme would love. I sit down and write a short note to her, thanking her once again for her hospitality.

On my way to the post office, I think about calling Jake. I really would like to talk to him before Wednesday, but I know how he is when it comes to keeping his schedule. I decide to just wait it out, unless he calls me first.

I spend the rest of the afternoon at my favorite local coffee shop, Shades of Brown. This is the perfect spot to people watch. The clientele is so eclectic. I occasionally use my ninja skills and snap candid shots of the patrons. The barista and I are on first name basis. Her name is Angela. She's sweet and funny; and she makes the perfect cup of coffee. "So, Bella. How was your last assignment? Where did you go?"

"Well, it was in this small town in Louisiana called, French Settlement. It's only about thirty minutes from Baton Rouge. It was absolutely gorgeous and so quaint. The trees are so tall and green. I miss it already."

"Hmmmm. Sounds lovely. Meet any interesting people?"

"I actually stayed with the family who owns the plantation that I did the article about."

"I guess that's what they mean when they say 'southern hospitality'!"

"It's just like a whole different world down there. The people are so friendly and warm. You'd fit right in."

"Well, you've sold me and I haven't even read your article yet! I'm glad you're back!"

"Thanks, Angela. I'll see you later!" I head out onto the street, back toward my apartment building. I suddenly have a desperate need to call Jake. We need to talk.

I take out my phone and dial his number. "Hey, Jake. It's Bella. I'm back in New York. My flight got in yesterday. I was hoping I'd be able to see you before Wednesday. I have some things I want to talk to you about. When you get this message, please call me." Damn voicemail. I should have figured that he wouldn't answer. He prescreens all of his calls.

Tuesday it is the same thing. I run errands, chat with Alice about a few upcoming jobs, pop into Shades of Brown, and talk to Jake's voicemail.

Wednesday morning, I am having major withdrawals. I need to talk to Edward like a junkie needs a hit. But I don't know if that is ok. Does he want to talk to me? Maybe he would have called me by now if he did.

When my phone rings, I pounce on it. "Hello. Bella Swan speaking."

"Hello, gorgeous."

"Oh, Jake." Trying not to let the disappointment in my voice show. "Hey. I've been trying to call you all week."

"I know. I got your messages. I've just been swamped at work. I meant to call you back, but I've had meetings every night this week. How was your trip?" He pauses, but before I can get a word in, he begins again. "You know, never mind. We can discuss that when we meet for dinner tonight. Our usual?"

"Yeah, Jake. I'll be there."

No "bye", no "love you", no "glad you're back", just a dial tone.

I walk into Le Bernardin at 7:00 sharp. We have standing reservations here every Wednesday night when we are both in town. The hostess greets me and takes me to our table for two. She's always attentive to Jake, but she loves to act like I don't even exist. I can't stand people like her. When the waitress comes, I go ahead and order a glass of wine to relax me.

Jake is normally very punctual, but for some reason he is running late tonight. I start to pull out my phone to text him, when I see his head of dark brown hair walk in the door. He is handsome, there's no denying that. The hostess brings him to the table, gushing over how nice his suit is. He's in his three-piece business suit, straight from work. Jake always looks tailored and put together. Anyone can see that he is trying to make a good impression. I like to call him metrosexual. He gets highly offended by that remark.

I stand up as he approaches and give him a quick hug before he sits down. "Bella. You look beautiful. I'd say that all of the sun down in the south did you some good."

"Thank you, Jake. You look good too. Is that a new suit?"

"Oh, yeah. Um, my sister was down last weekend. We did a little shopping. You know how she loves to shop when she's here."

"Well, I'm sorry I missed her. How's she doing?"

That's how the first part of our dinner went. Lots of small talk. We ordered our meals and continued with the back-and-forth questions, the same as every other Wednesday night dinner. When our plates had been cleared from the table and Jake had asked for the check, I knew that I needed to get down to business.

"Listen, Jake. There's something I need to talk to you about." I figure I should just come right out with it. Rip the band-aid off. The faster the better. "This." I motion between the two of us. "Us. We're not working. We haven't been for a long time." I wait for him to make some sort of move or speak, but he doesn't, so I continue. "I think it's time that we go our separate ways and get on with our lives."

"Bella, you have no idea. I mean, I've had this thing I've needed to tell you all week and I just didn't know how I was going to say it. But this, wow. This is working out so much better than I thought it would." He lets out a huge breath of air and relaxes back into his chair. I have no idea where he's going with this. "See, I've been seeing someone for the past few weeks and I was having the hardest time trying to find the right way to tell you, but you just made it so much easier." He laughs a little, like something is funny.

I sit there for what could have been ten seconds or ten minutes. I'm not sure. I'm just letting the recent turn of events sink in. I don't know what to say, so I just blurt out the first thing that comes to my mind.

"I didn't have sex with Edward Fucking Cullen, because I was trying to do the right thing; and YOU had sex with some whore while I was gone?" My voice is starting to rise in volume.

Jake holds his hands out in an effort to calm me down. "Actually, it was Leah. Who the hell is Edward Fucking Cullen?"

"None of your damn business! You cheated on me with your secretary!" I whisper yell at him from across the table. "You just lost all rights to knowing anything about my life! Oh my god, Jake! How much more predictable and cliche can you possibly be? You are so fucking vanilla it kills me." I slam my napkin down on the table, causing the glasses to rattle.

"Everything in your life is so planned out. Fuck, even the way you decide to cheat on me is by the book! Does she know that she'll only have dinner with you on Wednesdays? That you only like to have sex on the weekend? That you ALWAYS get yours first? Huh? Does she know that her best friend will run on batteries? Does she Jake? I think Leah and I should have a little chat." The color is draining from his face and he shakes his head, but I don't give him a chance to speak.

"She should know that her life will be the most boring, colorless, thought-out life ever. Or maybe she likes that sort of thing?" I stand up and push my chair out with more force than I intended, knocking it over. I feel a dozen set of eyes staring at me, but I don't care. Fuck this place. I'm never coming here again.

"You know what Jake, I'm sure you two are perfect for each other and that you'll be very happy together. I feel it is only suiting to end this conversation with the most cliche gesture." I pick up my half empty wine glass and throw the remaining pinot noir on his freshly starched shirt. Before he even has a chance to react, I stomp out of the restaurant, flipping the hostess off for good measure.

I hail a taxi and try to get the hell out of there as fast as I can. I feel tears coming and I don't want to be anywhere near Jake when that happens. I would never want him to think that he's affected me this way. I'm not crying because of the breakup or losing him, I'm crying because it fucking hurts to be cheated on, regardless of the state of your relationship. I'm crying because I'm pissed off. But most of all, I'm crying because right at this very moment, I miss Edward Cullen so bad it hurts.

"Could you stop here? I'll just be a second."

I jump out of the taxi and run into the liquor store. I walk straight to the whiskey and buy the biggest bottle of Southern Comfort they have. "Will that be all?" I brush the still falling tears off my cheeks and say, "Yes. Unless you have a teleporter that can take me to French Settlement."

The guy behind the counter just looks at me warily and hands me my brown paper sack and my change. "Hope this helps."

When I get back in the taxi, the driver asks, "Everything ok, Miss?"

"Fine." I'm in no mood to elaborate on my mental state. I watch the passing lights as we drive the last few blocks to my apartment building. This city used to make me happy. The sights and the sounds were home to me, but tonight I just feel lost and lonely. The taxi pulls over at my building and it's the last place I want to be, but I have no choice. I pay my driver and get out.

Seth is waiting with the door open. "Bella. Is everything ok? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Seth. Jake and I broke up, but I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." He says with a concerned look on his face.

"I will be." I hold up my brown paper sack with Southern Comfort.

Seth pushes the button for my floor and I get in the elevator.

I walk into the apartment, kick my shoes under the coffee table, take my dress off, and sit down in the middle of my living room with nothing but my Southern Comfort and a shot glass.

The first shot burns as it slides down my throat. I welcome the warmth. I sit there for a few minutes just going over Jake's words in my mind. He cheated on me. I know I shouldn't care because I was breaking up with him anyway, but he cheated. On me! I take another shot. The burn is still there, but not quite as strong as the first.

I can't believe he had the nerve to act relieved. What an asshole.

I pour myself another shot and toss it back.

I don't think it really matters what the circumstance is, when someone cheats on you, it hurts. I know I have had thoughts of cheating on Jake this past week, but I didn't. Well, until Edward kissed me. But at least I had the decency to not go any further.

I let another shot ease the ache in my chest.

The photographs of Edward are still scattered on my coffee table. I pick up a copy of the one I gave him before I left. Edward is sitting on the steps of his cottage with his guitar. The picture is in black and white and I'm kicking myself for not developing it in color. I wish I could see his green eyes, as he's staring off into the distance, strumming his guitar.

I take another shot of Southern Comfort and close my eyes as I try to remember the song he was playing that day.

The Bob Seger song comes to my mind. I get up and turn on my iPod, plug it into my speakers, and go to my playlist. A few second later, 'We've Got Tonight' is playing. I sit back down in the middle of my living room and let the tears fall.

After the song ends, I wipe my face with my hands and blow my nose. Out of the corner of my eye I see my phone laying on my coffee table. I pick it up and dial the number that I've been wanting to call all week.

"Hello?" His voice is groggy and sleepy. Crap. Just how late is it?

"Hey, it's Bella...Swan. Bella Swan."

"Bella? Are you crying? Is everything ok?"

"I'm fine." My story of the night.

"You don't sound fine."

"I broke up with Jake."

"Is that why you're crying?"

"No, he cheated on me...with his secretary."

"Oh, I'm sorry. That's really shitty, Bella."

"I told him I thought it was time to move on, and he said that he was glad I said that because he's been fucking his damn secretary!"

"Bella, calm down. Are you alone?"

"Yes, Edward. I'm alone...more alone than I've ever been in my whole damn life. Well, except for my friend Southern Comfort, here." My words slur a little as they come out.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, not particularly."

"Okay. Hey, um, not that I care or anything, but how did you get my number?"

"Oh, at Hot Pockets. In the bathroom, it says 'for a good time, call Edward Cullen'. I saw it the night I was there and saved it to my phone." I laugh a little.

"Sounds like I'll need to have the bathroom repainted again."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called."

"No, I'm glad you called."

"Hey, Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"I miss you."

* * *

**(EPOV)**

"I miss you too, Bella"

"Hey, Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you serious about that slutty whore, Tanya?"

I almost choke a little on the breath I just took. "What? Tanya? Um, no. No, we're not serious."

"What exactly are you? Fuck buddies?"

Well, this is going to get interesting. Apparently Bella doesn't hold back when she's drunk. "I, uh...yeah, I guess that's what you would call us. Listen, Bella. Tanya and I are just old friends, who occasionally have sex. Nothin' more. But we haven't even done that in a long time."

"So, is that the kind of relationship you want with me?" She sounds sad when she asks and it breaks my heart.

"No, absolutely not. This is really uncomfortable to talk about over the phone. I need to see your face when we have conversations like this. I need to know what you're thinking. What are you thinking, Bella?"

"You don't want to fuck me?"

"I didn't say that."

"So, you do want to fuck me?"

"Bella, I want to do a lot more than fuck you."

I hear a sniffle on the other end of the phone. "What's wrong, baby?"

"I miss you so bad it hurts and I've never felt so lonely...and you're a thousand miles away...and I don't even know when I'll see you again or if I'll ever see you again. There's no guarantee that I'll see you again. Is there, Edward? Edward. That is such a nice name." She's rambling.

"Bella, Sweetie. I think you need to get some sleep. Things always look better in the mornin'."

"Don't hang up." She says with a little panic in her voice.

I feel helpless being so far away.

"I'll stay on as long as you need me."

When her soft, little drunk snores start coming through the phone, I hang up and make another call.

"This better be an emergency or I'm gonna jack your shit up."

"Alice, I need your help."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Jenny Kate:** Does this count as a cliffie? I hope so, 'cause cliffies make me feel badass...like a Honey Badger.

**Jiff: **Honey Badger don't care...he don't give a shit!

**Jenny Kate: ** He's such a nasty little bastard.

**Jiff: **Who, Honey Badger? Or Jake? Ha ha...see what I just did there?

**Jenny Kate: ** I like it. They're both nastyass little bastards. On top of that, Jake is a douche. I wish Bella would have come across that table and beat the shit out of him. I'm just glad that she's no longer with him.

**Jiff**: Is this where I remind you that you wrote this chapter? You could've made Bella beat Jake up. I think our readers would've loved that! Is anyone surprised that Jake is a cheater?

**Jenny Kate: ** Well, I could've made Bella go gangsta on Jake's ass, but that's more Alice's style. Bella is a bit more civil. I actually wrote a few violent outbursts, but it just didn't sound right. I'm sure Jake will get what's coming to him, one way or another. We already know that a few of our readers had Jake pegged as a cheater after a couple of chapters. Some people are so perceptive! It's like they were reading our minds.

**JIff**: Whoa. That's kinda scary.

**Jenny Kate:** What? Reading minds or reading OUR minds?

**Jiff**: Reading OUR minds! It's scary enough how you and I think alike. So, to know that others can read what we are thinking...that doesn't scare you?

**Jenny Kate:** Yes. Our minds are scary places to be. You know where else is a scary place to be? In New York, all by your lonesome. *poor Bella*

**Jiff**: Awww...what's a girl to do? How about drunk dialing?

**Jenny Kate:** Drunk calls, FTMFW! Raise your hand if you've ever drunk called someone...on purpose or otherwise. Entertain us with the details in the reviews! While you're at it, tell us what you think of the story so far! We'd love to hear from you.

**Jiff**: We didn't get my hubby to beta for us this time because it's past his bedtime right now, so all of the mistakes are our own!

**Jenny Kate:** Yes, we take full responsibility for any messes. As always, THANK YOU guys so much for taking the time to read our story! We love each and every one of you! ***bewb gropes and ass slaps all around***

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**Jenny Kate's Fic Rec of the Week**: I'm rec'ing **Suzie55**. If you haven't read her stories, you should. I'm a huge Suzie55 junkie. Her most recent fic, _**Cliche**_, just completed a week or so ago. ** http : / www . fanfiction . net /s/ 7352604 /1/ Cliche **(remove the spaces)

**Jiff's Fic Rec of the Week: **I'm rec'ing two this week because they both own my azz and I can't choose between them! First is _The Agreement_ by Gemgirl65. .net/s/7945391/1/The_bAgreement_b My second rec is _Dusty_ by YellowBella. .net/s/7659651/1/Dusty These are both MUST READS in my book!


	13. Down on Me

**Disclaimer: We do not own Twilight or SM's characters but we do need to buy new panties after the past 3 days of Cannes excitement!**

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**(BPOV)**

I wake up with my phone smashed to my face and I feel disoriented. Wiping the drool off of my cheek, I sit up, but decide that's a bad idea and lay back down. I open my eyes and squint at the morning sun coming through my windows. Damn, I should have listened to Alice and put some blinds or something up. Fuck, the morning sun. I think I said some shit about it making me happy, but that is not the case this morning.

What the hell did I do?

I manage to keep my eyes open and I stare at my ceiling. It hurts to move my eyeballs, so I just try to use my peripheral vision. I am definitely laying on my living room floor and I can see a half empty bottle of Southern Comfort sitting on my coffee table about two feet from where I'm laying. I'm usually a "bottle half full" kind of girl, but not this morning. It's half empty. The pounding in my head tells me so.

I move all four of my limbs in limited slow movements, just to make sure everything works. I can't tell you the last time that I drank that much. On top of that, I mixed wine and liquor. Isn't there some saying about "wine before liquor, never sicker"?

What the hell was I thinking?

I should probably attempt to get up, but I'm kind of afraid to. I think I'll just lay here for a few more minutes. I'm glad I don't have noisy neighbors. I might have to go all Rambo on them, if I did. Later, of course, when it doesn't feel like my head is a giant ocean of swimming fish with an elephant parade marching through it and parting the deep sea like Moses.

I take a risk and reach over toward the couch and pull my blanket over to me. I pull it over my head, and block the sun. Ahhhhh, much better. I think I should sleep the SoCo off for a little while longer.

Knock, knock, knock.

Knock, knock.

Holy hell, the pounding in my head is now audible. This is bad. I'm probably dying.

**(EPOV)**

Come on, dammit. Open the fucking door. I run my hands over my face a few times and pull at my hair, trying to calm myself down and wake up at the same time. I've been rushing to get here ever since I heard Bella snore through my phone last night. Of course, I had to call and wake-up Alice to get Bella's address first. After she cussed me out for a few minutes and let me explain about Bella and Jake, she happily gave me what I needed, but then she started cussing out Jake. It was pretty funny, but she was keeping me from getting to the airport so, I quickly said goodbye and hung up on her. For all I know, she could still be cussing him from her phone line.

Thankfully, I didn't have to wait very long for a flight and was able to sleep a little once I was in the air. As soon as the doors to the airplane opened, I grabbed my bag and ran for the taxis parked outside, getting quite a few death glares, middle fingers, and curses thrown my way. I didn't care, though. All I had on my mind was getting to Bella as quickly as possible.

I still can't believe she got my phone number from the fucking bathroom wall of my own restaurant. I mean, I'm glad she called me but still. That shit's embarrassin'. And I'm a damn moron for not givin' my number to her myself before she left Louisiana.

I guess I just figured, if it was fate for us to be together, we would find our way back to each other.

I know we both wanted to see each other again, but I didn't want to pressure her because she already had so much to deal with when she got back home.

Like her boyfriend. Asshole. Well, ex-boyfriend, now, thank God. Why anyone in their right mind would ever cheat on Bella is beyond me. She's perfect. Beautiful, smart, confident, tough, talented, and sexy as all get-out. I'm not complaining though. She may not be ready to start anything with me just yet, but I'll wait for as long as she needs me to. I can be patient...except for now. Why isn't she opening her damn door?

Knock, knock, knock.

Knock, knock.

"Hang on a minute! Fuck!"

I let out a deep breath and smile when I hear her voice. She sounds groggy so I must have woken her up. Man, will she be surprised. Oh, shit. What if she doesn't really want me here? I panic a little at the thought. She said she missed me last night but she'd been drunker than a skunk, too. Maybe she doesn't remember calling me.

Too late to worry about that now. I'm here and I'm not leaving until she orders me to.

I hear multiple locks being turned, and then watch as the door to Bella's apartment slowly opens. I cock my head to the side to try to peek through the narrow open space, when I see one brown eye traveling up my body and stopping at my face. I smile at her, but when she realizes who I am, she screams and slams the door in my face.

"Shit!" she yells and then follows with an "Ow, my head!"

That's not good.

Next, I hear louder cussing and some fumblin' around, like she's moving furniture or somethin'. Did she fall down?

"Bella! Are you ok? Can you open the door, please?"

I wait a few seconds before her door opens slowly again. This time, though, she opens it all the way and I can finally see her. I can't help but smile again at her. Not just because she is obviously hung-over, with her hair all wild and crazy and her body wrapped up in a blanket, but because she's beautiful and I missed her. "Can I come in?"

"Umm, sure." She steps out of the way to make room for me and I walk inside and drop my bag on the floor. "Edward, what the hell are you doing here?" she asks as she closes the door.

"Do you not remember calling me last night, Chuck?"

"No...wait. What? I called you? Last night? The last thing I remember clearly is having a couple of shots and sitting on the couch being miserable." She looks over to her coffee table, where a very large bottle of Southern Comfort is sitting with quite a bit of the liquor missing. "Hmmm, I guess I had more than a couple of shots, huh? But, wait, I don't have your number, do I?"

I clear my throat. "Well, you said you got it off the bathroom wall at Hot Pockets." Note to self: remember to call Emmett and tell him to have those walls painted...again.

Realization seems to dawn on her and her eyes get really wide. "I did call you! Oh, my god, Edward, I'm so sorry. Did I wake you up? Did I cry? I'm already embarrassed. Should I just move straight to completely mortified?" She's so cute as she paces back and forth, trying to remember our conversation. The blanket she is holding around her body slips a little and I get a glimpse of black lace and skin. Holy hell, she's practically naked under there. Focus, Edward.

"Bella, calm down. Have you eaten anything yet? Do you need water? Pain medicine?" I ask as I walk into the kitchen. I dig around in her fridge and find a bottle of Gatorade, that I open and hand to her. She takes it and smiles a little; then she pops a couple of pills in her mouth and swallows them with her drink. "Thanks." She seems nervous. I need to change that.

I gently take her hand, lead her to her couch and sit down. She sits next to me, but refuses to look at me, so I rub her hands until we finally make eye-contact.

"To answer your questions...yes, you did wake me up and, yes, you were crying when you called, but you have nothing to be embarrassed about." She pulls her hands out of mine and tries to cover her face with her blanket. "Bella, stop that. It's fine, really." I move her hair away from her face as her chocolate browns search my face. "But why are you here, Edward?"

"I'm here because I was worried about you. I'm here because I missed you and I couldn't stand to be away from you any longer." I want to kiss her so bad, so I start to lean towards her. Bella obviously has other thoughts, because she immediately scoots back away from me and covers her mouth.

I let out a small laugh, because I'm kinda embarrassed. She obviously doesn't want me to kiss her. Maybe she didn't really want me here, after all.

"Edward, you can't kiss me right now." She looks up and shakes her head, with her hand over her mouth. "I just woke up and I haven't brushed my teeth and I really stink. Do you mind if I take a quick shower?"

"Ok, but can I kiss you when you're done?"

She gives me the big smile I've been missing for the past 3 days and nods her head. "Yes."

I feel my body relax and I smile back at her. "Then, go! Hurry!" I start pushing her off the couch to get her moving. She laughs as she quickly walks into a room and closes the door.

Yeah, I did the right thing by coming here.

While Bella is in the shower, I decide to clean up a bit. I put the booze in the kitchen and straighten up the rest of the living room. My mama would be so proud. Not just because I'm cleanin' up, but because I came here to check on Bella. I have no doubt that she'd think me flyin' to New York City on a whim was romantic. I laugh to myself because I've never done anything remotely romantic before, but Bella makes me want to do more.

"You've been fluffing that throw pillow for quite some time, Edward. I'm starting to get jealous."

I turn around and see Bella slowly walking up to me. Her face is scrubbed clean and she smells so fuckin' good. "You have nothing to worry about, I promise. Are you gonna give me that kiss now?"

Bella bites her lip and her eyes are twinkling at me. "Yeah, I was thinking about it." I smile and close the gap between us, placing my hands on her hips. I lean forward and start placing soft kisses on her neck, moving my way up to her jaw. "Well, you just let me know when you make a decision. Ok?" She giggles, then grabs my face and pulls me to her. Kissing Bella is amazing. I've kissed my fair share of women before, but Bella is different. Better. Her lips are softer and her tongue moves in ways that make my dick throb instantly. Our lips separate and I run my nose along her cheekbone, inhaling. "Mmmm, you _do_ smell much better now. That shower was a great idea."

She laughs and pushes my shoulder. "Jerk. Come on, let's go out for some coffee and breakfast...or is it time for lunch?"

"Well, it's closer to lunch time, but I can drink coffee any time of day. I'll go wherever you want to take me so, lead the way, Chuck."

We walk to a coffee shop on the corner near her apartment building. Bella tells me that it's her favorite, but I'm still surprised when the barista calls her by her name. I just assumed that kind of thing only happened in small towns, but I am obviously wrong. The barista's name is Angela and she looks surprised when Bella introduces me as her "friend from French Settlement." Has Bella mentioned me to her before, I wonder. Along with our iced coffees, we order sandwiches to eat at a table outside.

We have been sitting, eating in a comfortable silence for a while, when I finally get the nerve to ask about her breakup with Jake. "So, how are you feeling? You know, about Jake and everything that happened last night?"

She takes a sip of her drink and answers, "I'm okay. Actually, I'm more than okay. I'm relieved that our relationship is finally over. I knew weeks, if not months, ago that I needed to end it, but I guess I wasn't motivated enough. I was just being complacent. But it hurt, you know? It hurt to hear him say that he found someone else, someone better."

"I'm sorry he hurt you like that. He should've man-ed up and told you he had feelings for his secretary before he slept with her. A decent man would've done that, Bella. And, don't think for a second, that the other woman is better than you in any way because it's not true."

She smiles at me and I reach out and grab her hand. "If she can put up with his boring, self-centered ass, then she is better than I am...better for him anyway. I actually feel sorry for her!" She is laughing as she says this and all I can think of doing is wrapping her in my arms and kissing her again. Instead, I throw away our trash and grab her hand again, as we start walking down the street.

After spending the rest of the afternoon walking around the city, doing a bit of sightseeing, Bella decides she would like to cook for me. We stop at a local market to buy the ingredients for our dinner, but Bella stops me when I try to pay for them. "You are in my city, so I am buying our dinner. I didn't pay for anything while I was at your house. It's my turn to treat you," Bella argues.

"I can think of other ways you can treat me..." is my answer and I wonder if I've gone too far. Of course, I'm dying to make love to Bella, but only when she is ready. I'll never pressure her. I look at her, still worried I've insulted her, and she's biting that damn bottom lip again. Of course, my dick is instantly hard now. Does she not realize what she does to me?

Bella pays for the groceries, but I insist on carrying the two bags. She tugs at my belt loop and says, "Come on. Didn't Esme teach you that dinner comes _before_ dessert?" I groan and answer, "If the dessert we're talking about is what I think it is, can we, please, not include my mama in the conversation?" My hard-on is now deflated.

**(BPOV)**

I still cannot believe that Edward Cullen is here, in my apartment, and I am cooking dinner for him. I thought I was having an alcohol-induced hallucination when I first opened my door and saw him standing there so, naturally, I screamed like an idiot and slammed the door in his face. I was so embarrassed when I remembered drunk dialing him last night, but he quickly made me feel better about it. Part of me was afraid of what it would be like between us the next time we saw each other. I've thought about our 2 kisses in Baton Rouge many times since I've been back home, but I didn't know if they meant as much to him as they did me.

When I saw that he was about to kiss me on the couch, I had to stop him. I wasn't about to let him kiss me when I had a horrible combination of morning breath and hangover breath. He'd never want me to kiss him again!

Thankfully, he waited for me to shower and brush my teeth before we kissed again and it was perfect. Just like every kiss we've shared has been...like this entire day has been. Perfect. I've loved being able to spend time with Edward and show him around my city, just like he did for me when I was in Louisiana. I don't know how long he will be here, but I plan on enjoying every minute with him.

I feel his arms wrap around my waist as he kisses my neck. "It smells delicious in here. Are you cooking Italian?"

"Yes," I answer. "I still need Esme to teach me how to cook Cajun food, so for now, it's lasagna." I turn around and kiss him, wrapping my hands around his neck. He slides his tongue in my mouth and my fingers start running through his glorious hair. Just as Edward grabs and hitches my leg around his waist, the oven timer goes off, signaling that our food is ready. He groans and pulls away, gently placing my leg down at the same time.

Dinner is great. Not because of the food, although I do cook a badass lasagne, but because of the company. Edward is such a great guy. I mean, he's genuinely good and he's funny. We've finally had the chance to just be together today and enjoy each others' company. I've learned so much about him, but I want to know more. Knowing some things about Edward is not enough. I need to know everything.

We didn't just touch on heavy subjects. We shared favorite stories from when we were kids. Edward told me crazy stories from when he was an LSU frat boy. I reciprocated with some of my escapades with Alice.

I haven't laughed that hard in ages. I feel alive again. Free. And, I'm pretty sure I have Edward to thank for that.

We are standing in my kitchen, cleaning up after dinner, when Edward turns from the sink and grabs both of my hands. He is looking deep into my eyes and I think he is about to say something but, instead, he leans in and gently kisses my mouth.

I kiss him back, maybe a bit harder than I should. I just can't help myself.

I wrap my arms around his shoulders as he places his hands on my hips and pulls me closer. I can feel his I open my mouth so his tongue can have access and he groans as he kisses me deeper.

I want him. Now.

Not just for tonight. I think I want him forever. But if this happens now, will he want me for more than tonight? I don't know. I don't want to think about it. Right now, I just want to _feel._

It's like he can read my mind.

He cradles my face in his hands and brushes my hair out of my face. "Bella," he whispers. "Relax. Let me make you feel good."

All I can do is bite my bottom lip, to keep myself moaning like a whore, and I nod my head.

There are no sounds but the sounds of our breathing. We're both panting as we kiss and undress each other. He pulls my shirt up over my head, tossing it onto the kitchen floor as he kisses all over my face, neck, and shoulders. He helps me take his shirt off so I can run my hands over his chest and stomach.

He pulls down my shorts and thong, then picks me up and places me on my island counter. The marble top is cold on my ass but the rest of my body is blazing, on fire for this incredible man to take me where I have never been before.

There is no fanfare or trepidation, just passion.

His lips move from my shoulders to my breasts. He begins flicking my nipple with his tongue; and soon he is swirling, sucking, and biting. My head is beginning to fog with lust. He moves to my other breast as he simultaneously spreads my legs apart. I lean back onto my elbows, close my eyes, and feel his hand gently move up my thigh until it reaches the aching between my legs.

He pulls back from my chest and closes his eyes as he feels my wetness. When he looks back at me, I can see wonder and lust in his gaze. He leans up to kiss me with so much passion, I can feel my heart beating out of my chest. I gasp as he slowly slides his long, middle finger inside me.

"Fuck, Bella. If you feel this good around my finger, I can't wait to put my cock inside of you." I can't help but whimper at his words. No one has ever talked to me that way. It makes me feel powerful, beautiful, worshipped.

He slides another finger in and I moan and grab onto his arms, for support. I'm watching him as he watches his fingers move in and out of my pussy. It is the most erotic experience I have ever had. He looks like he is in awe as he moves in and out, deeper and deeper. When his thumb moves against my clit, my hips buck, on their own accord, and I yell out.

"Amazing...magnificent...perfection..." His words alone nearly make me come. I am getting so close to the edge and I don't know if I can hold back my orgasm for much longer. He starts to bend down, bringing his mouth closer to my pussy. As he looks up into my eyes, I recognize the green that has been haunting my dreams these last few weeks. I am in shock as realization dawns on me, but it doesn't last long.

He swirls and laps his tongue around my clit a few times and I lose all control, as I fall into orgasmic bliss. My body is rising to meet his mouth and I am shaking, quivering. I am screaming out his name louder than I have ever screamed before. He doesn't stop moving his fingers or kissing my pussy; but he slows his movements as my body calms into a slight tremble.

Once I have recovered, he slowly pulls his fingers out and wraps his arms around me.

"Baby, that was incredible. Seeing you and feeling you come like that...hearing you scream my name... I can't wait for you to do that again, but this time, I want you wrapped around my cock. Do you want it, Bella? Do you want my cock inside of you?"

"Edward, take me to the bedroom. Now."

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**A/N:**

**Jenny Kate: _. **I flatlined. Send over the crash cart STAT. Between #CannesRob, #RobstenKissing, and our first lemon; I am done for.

**Jiff**: It's been a helluva week so far, that's for sure! Being a fan just keeps getting better and better!

**Jenny Kate: ** I had so many proud moments this week. *sniff* Seeing Rob and Kristen flourish in their careers is an emotional journey for any fangirl.

**Jiff: **So true! I am so happy and proud for them career-wise and with their relationship. *wipes eyes* But what about our little SoCo duo, huh? We finally got some citrus out of those two! Did it live up to your expectations or were you yawning through it? *bites nails*

**Jenny Kate:** *bites nails with you* I hope everyone loves the lemon zest. Of course, there will be more cumming. We done broke the seal. This works the same way, right?

**Jiff: ** Yeah, I have a feeling our readers will not be sassified with just one lemon. They're probably greedy bitches like we are, if I had to guess. But, that's why we love them!

**Jenny Kate**: Birds of a feather and all that jazz. I just have to say that you have all been sofa king amazing this past week! With all of the Rob/Kristen/Robsten/Cannes biz going on, we didn't think there would be much reading, reviewing, etc.; but you guys did and we can't thank you enough!

**Jenny Kate's Rec of the Week: **I'd like to rec _Deeper Discord_ by **Ifyouweremine**. It's a WIP and only 7 chapters in, so if you like to get in on stories at the beginning, this one is for you! So far, it's a bit angsty, but not too bad. Edward is a daddy. *SA-woon* **http: / www . fanfiction . net /s/ 8022119 /1/ bDeeper_b_bDiscord_b** (remove the spaces)

**Jiff's Rec of the Week**: _How to Paint a House _by **Maggie's Gutter**. This is a beautifully written story that I love with all my heart! It is a WIP and she doesn't update on a regular schedule but, if you can handle that, read it now. Otherwise, it will be worth the wait when it's complete!

.net/s/7107558/1/bHow_b_to_bPaint_b_ba_b_bHouse_b


	14. Bring Me To Life

**Disclaimer: We do not own Edward or Bella. We do own Cajunward and Chuckella, and we like to make them do durty things. So, without further ado...**

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**(BPOV)**

I can't move my body. Truth be told, I don't think I would move my body even if I could. I am way too comfortable, and it is all because of the incredible man sleeping next to me. I'm curled up on my side and he is behind me, molded to my body perfectly. His arm is draped over my chest and he is holding me so close, his hand is actually between my cheek and my pillow. I can feel his chest move up and down with every breath and my hair moves slightly with each exhale. This must be what heaven is like.

As I think back to last night, my body flushes and a significant amount of fluid gathers between my legs. Again? My body is gloriously sore in all the right places. After last night, I thought I would need some recovery time, but apparently not. I don't think I can ever stop wanting him. The passion and desire he brings out of me seems unending. All of my years with Jake, I thought something was wrong with me, like I was dysfunctional or something. I'm thrilled to know that is not the case.

I feel soft little kisses on the top of my head and I instantly smile. I pull the hand that is under my cheek to my mouth and kiss his palm, while lacing my fingers with his.

"Mornin'." I love his deep southern twang.

"Good morning to you," I reply as I roll onto my back. I have a desperate need to see his face. Yep, he's still just as beautiful now as he was last night, if not more so.

He smiles at me and moves some of my wild hair away from my face. "How'd you sleep?" he asks.

"Better than I have in years. Sleeping in your parents' guest room is a close second, though."

"Hmmm...I think, the next time you are at my parent's house, there will be another room for you to sleep in that will be even more comfortable."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Most definitely," he says as he leans in to kiss my lips. He sees the slight panic on my face and stops. "What's wrong, Bella?"

"Umm, nothing is wrong...I just have this thing about morning breath."

"Bella, I don't care about that shit. I just want to kiss you. I let you stop me yesterday because you were hungover. Please, don't stop me this morning."

I have to be the dumbest woman in the world. How could I ever say "no" to his kisses after that?

I lick my lips and wait for his perfect mouth to touch mine. When it does, my entire body is filled with electricity and I pull him closer to me. I will never care about morning breath again as long as I can keep kissing him.

His hands find my breasts and he starts tweaking my nipples, making me moan into his mouth. His hand travels down my stomach, as his lips move down my neck, and he finds my pussy. I am completely drenched for him and he knows it. He moves his finger up and down my slit. "Damn, Baby, you're ready for me so soon?"

My face heats up and I move to get out of his arms. No one has ever turned me on as much as Edward does and hearing him acknowledge my body's reaction to him embarrasses me. Jake never spoke to me like that, but then again, he never made me this wet...ever. Is this normal?

Edward doesn't let me out of his grip and he turns my face to his. "Bella? Did I say or do somethin' wrong? I'm not teasin' you, Darlin'. I fuckin' love how wet you are for me. Can't you feel how turned on you make me?"

I can. I feel his cock, hard and throbbing against my hip. I do that to him? He wants me as much as I want him? It doesn't seem possible.

"Yes, Bella. You do this to me. You make me hard like this. Only you." There he goes again, reading my mind somehow.

"I'm just not used to feeling like this. I've never felt this way or have ever wanted anyone as I much as I want you. I've never felt as desirable as you make me feel, Edward."

"Well, I'm gonna make sure you never feel anything less," he declares as his lips crush mine.

His tongue glides into my mouth as my fingers grab hold of his hair. His hand is back at my center but only for a moment. He wipes some of my moisture onto his fingers and then rubs it all over his thick cock. It glistens with my wetness in the morning light and, fuck me, that is so sexy.

"I need you, Bella," he whispers into my mouth.

"Yes, Edward." is all I can manage to get out of my mouth before he claims it again.

He turns me back onto my side, the same position we woke up in, and he uses his hand to guide his dick into my slick folds. I have never had sex in this position and I feel my core stretching to accommodate him perfectly. Is it always this good?

He is licking and nipping at my neck and shoulders and I move my arm behind me to grab onto his amazing ass. I love feeling his muscles tighten and flex under my hand as he thrusts into me. He lifts my leg and holds it up by my thigh, opening me completely. He is hitting that elusive spot I didn't believe existed every time he pushes into me. I feel myself about to lose control, as he moves inside of me slow and steady. I breath out, "More", as he pushes into me. "Edward, please."

He groans his answer, "Yes, Baby, anything you want" as he starts thrusting harder, faster. He lays the leg he is holding over his leg so that his hand is free to explore my pussy. He rubs my clit, and I feel myself start to unravel. He gently pinches it between his two fingers, and I lose control, screaming out my orgasm. My eyes are closed tight and I am seeing stars, as my body moves on it's own accord. I hear Edward yell out my name over and over as he comes, emptying himself inside of me.

We lay in each other's arms, completely spent. A few minutes pass before Edward slowly pulls out of me. He lays on his back and holds me as close as humanly possible to him with both of his arms wrapped tightly around me. He softly rubs my back. "That was incredible, Angel."

I can't help but smile at his term of endearment. "It's never been this good for me," I tell him. I'm not trying to flatter him; it's the absolute truth.

"Me either." I lift my head and give him a look that tries to call him on his bullshit, but there are no lies to be found in his bright green eyes. "I'm serious, Bella. I've fucked around a lot, but I've never made love before."

My heart soars at his words, but I try to rein it in. I don't want to scare him away by assuming he means that he loves me. My body betrays me, though, and I find that I have my arms wrapped tightly around his neck and I am kissing him hard. He is laughing in between kisses and when he pulls his mouth away he looks a bit shy, almost like he is embarrassed now.

I run my fingers over his eyebrows and down his cheek until I am cupping his strong jaw. "I feel the same, Edward." There. We both said how we feel without actually saying the words and it is enough. For now. I don't feel the need to make any more declarations; we both know that our lives are changing at this very moment and that they are changing together.

**(EPOV)**

Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I notice that my appearance is only slightly different. The changes on my face will be noticed by my family and close friends, because they know me the best, but to the rest of the world I look just like I always have. For some reason, it seems strange to me. I expected to find a whole new person staring back at me when I walked into the bathroom. The brightness of my eyes and the big-ass smile on my face show that I am happy, but it does nothing to show what I am feeling inside.

Inside, I am bursting with joy. When I look at my arms, I am surprised that I can't see the euphoria I feel gushing out of my pores, being pushed by my heart that is now beating double-time. I know I sound like a fuckin' love-struck fool, but that's because I am. I have never felt anything close to how I feel about Bella. It has to be love, right? She's just incredible, even better than I realized when we were in Louisiana together.

I almost told Bella I loved her this morning and I'm so glad I didn't. I mean, I'm pretty sure I'm falling for her, but I didn't want to blurt it out after having sex. She deserves better than that. So, I told her in a way that explained how I am feeling, without putting the words out there. I know its probably too soon anyway, but I think she got the message. She pretty much said it right back, in so many words, and a kiss; which is why I can't get this smile off my face.

I better get in the shower before she thinks I'm one of those metrosexual guys that spend hours getting ready in the morning. I was going to ask her to join me, but I knew if she did, we'd never leave the apartment. Not that that would be a bad thing, but I would like some breakfast at some point and I'm sure Bella would, too.

As I step under the shower head, I wonder how Bella and I will make "us" work...if she really wants an "us", that is. Will she want to stay here in New York and do the long-distance thing or will she be willing to move closer to me? I would move across the world to be with her but I can't really just up and leave all of my responsibilities back home. My family needs me. I don't want to ruin what we have right now by assuming anything or putting pressure on her. I'll do anything to make her happy and I know we still have things to work out, but for the moment I want to relax and have fun just being with her.

After I am showered and dressed, I let Bella have her turn in the bathroom. Being the southern gentleman that I am, I offered to let her go first, but she one-upped me by pointing out that I was her "guest." I reminded her that I am an uninvited guest, but she told me that doesn't matter because she wanted me here anyway.

While she is getting ready, I peek around her apartment, looking at the pictures, books, and nicknacks she has on display. I also notice some beautiful framed photographs on her walls that I bet she took. Her talent is amazing. I know she has a great career being a photojournalist, but I wish there was a way I could help her live out her dream of doing a book. I have some ideas that could work but, I'll save that for a later conversation.

"Are you ready to go?" I turn around and see Bella waiting for me by the door. She is in a cute, girlie sundress, with just a little bit of makeup on her face. She looks natural, and she takes my breath away. "Absolutely. I'm starving," I say as I walk up to her.

"Well, let's get you some food. You have to keep your energy up, you know?" She waggles her eyebrows at me, then blushes and giggles at the same time. I grab her hand as we walk into the hallway, laughing at her innuendo. Oh, yeah, I'm fallin' big-time.

We decide to try a new diner across the street from her apartment building for breakfast and I am relieved to immediately get a table. I really am starvin' and Bella made a good point about keeping my energy up.

After we order our coffee and food, Bella starts asking me more about my childhood. For some reason, she seems fascinated with my stories and I don't know if it's because most of them are pretty funny or if she feels like she missed out on the experiences that can only come from growing up in the country.

"One time, when Emmett was about 14 and I was 12, we rode out about 10 miles away from the plantation. Em was on a 4-wheeler and I was on my dirt bike and we were joyridin' around the swamp land; just goofin' off for a few hours. After a while, my bike ran out of gas and we didn't know how we were gonna to get it back to the house. Of course, lookin' back, we should have driven the 4-wheeler home, got some gas, and brought it back to the bike, but we were young and stupid, so that thought never crossed our minds."

Bella is laughing as she asks, "Well, what did you do?"

"Well, Emmett had a rope with him, so we decided to tie the bike to the back of his 4-wheeler and I would ride the bike, while he pulled it home. The problem was that we tied the rope to only one of the handlebars and I had to fight like hell to keep the bike goin' straight. You know, 'cause the rope kept pulling on the handlebar, makin' the bike turn to the side." I laugh every time I tell this story. We were such dumbasses. It's a wonder my mama didn't get rid of us for the hell we put her through.

"So, we're movin' along and Em's doing a good job of goin' slow, because we were still around swampland. But, once we made it to the dirt road that lead back to the house, I guess he forgot he was towin' me, because the next thing I know, he takes off like hell on wheels and I'm holdin' on to the bike as hard as I can while it's bein' dragged across the gravel. When he finally remembers me, he looks back and the bike is on it's side, still tied to the 4-wheeler, but I'm way down the road on the ground 'cause I couldn't hold on any longer! He was so freaked out. I can still remember the look of panic on his face as he ran up to me."

Bella is laughin' hard now but she also looks worried. "Were you hurt badly?"

"Nah, I had some scrapes and bruises, and I had the wind knocked outta me, but I was fine. The bike, though, looked like shit. Once Em realized I was okay, he really got scared, thinking about how we were gonna tell our parents what happened."

"Oh, shit! I bet Esme was pissed!"

"Hell yeah, she was! So was my Dad, but he just let Mama chew us out while she doctored my wounds. And, of course, we were grounded for a few weeks, but that never stopped us from actin' up for too long."

I love watchin' Bella laugh. Her eyes are lit up and her cheeks are all nice and rosy. Then suddenly, her entire demeanor changes. She sits up straight, as she looks behind me and the happy expression from before is completely gone.

"Hey, what's the matter, Chuck?"

"It's Jake...with Leah."

I start to turn around, but she quickly grabs my arm. "No! Don't look! I don't want them to see me!"

Her face looks so sad as she watches them. I don't know why she is so upset by seeing them, but it kinda pisses me off. If she doesn't want them to see her, does that mean she doesn't want them to see _me_? Is she embarrassed or somethin'?

"Bella, calm down. I can turn around without bringin' attention to us." I turn my body sideways in our booth, and then turn my head to the tables behind me. There is only one couple sitting back there, so it has to be them. I see a tall, dark-haired guy who is extremely tanned and he's nuzzling the neck of a lady with long black hair that hides most of her face from my view. He has his arms wrapped around her and she is giggling. They look like a couple in love. I wonder if this is why Bella is so upset.

I turn back to look at Bella and she is looking at her hands on the table and picking at her nails. I grab both of her hands with mine. "Talk to me, Chuck. What's the matter? Do you regret breaking up with him?" Please, say no.

Her eyes fly up to look at me. "What? No, Edward. Hell, no! I don't want Jake back at all. I've just never seen him be so affectionate with anyone. He was never that way with me, especially in public. It's so weird and surprising to see him behave like that." Her eyes get sad again. "I can't help but wonder, though, why he couldn't do that with me. What was wrong with me? Why wasn't I good enough for him?"

Ok, _that_ pisses me off. "What do you mean 'not good enough for him'? _He_ is the one that is not good enough for you, Bella, and don't you ever think anything different. I just don't understand why you were with him for so long when he treated you that way. You deserve to be loved and shown off and showered with affection! If you were mine, that's what I would do!" I look into her eyes, pleading. Please be mine.

She looks at me, stunned at my outburst. I'm a bit stunned, too.

"You want me to be yours?" she asks, shyly.

I let out the deep breath I was holding. "Of course, I do, Bella. I thought that was pretty obvious."

The next thing I know, she is moving our plates and cups to the end of the table closest to the diner window and launching herself at me. She is leaning over the table so far her feet are in the air and she is attacking my mouth with a ferociousness I've yet to witness with her before now. I am shocked by her actions, but I am also thrilled, of course. So, I do what any sane man would do in my situation. I pull her all the way across the table so that she is in my lap and I kiss her back, with equal ferocity.

We are kissing for what seems like days, when we hear a throat clear to the side of us. We slowly pull apart and look over to see Jake standing next to our table.

"Bella?" he asks. "I thought I saw you over here. Umm, who's your friend?"

Bella turns her body to face Jake, while staying on my lap. "Oh, hi Jake. This is my boyfriend, Edward fucking Cullen. Edward, this is Jake." I chuckle at how she introduces me and I pull her hand to my mouth, kissing it gently before I turn to look at the sorry excuse for a man next to us.

Before I can say anything to him, he says, " Edward fucking Cullen? Is this the guy you were talking about screwing the other night? What, did you wait a whole 5 minutes after leaving the restaurant before calling him over for a southern-fried booty call? Jesus, Bella, have some class!"

I instantly slide Bella into the booth so I can stand up and look this asshole in the eyes. I'm thrilled when I see that I tower over the guy and he starts to shrink back from my glare. "Don't you _ever_ talk to her like that again, do you hear me? You're nothin' but a chicken-shit yuppie that doesn't know his dick from a hole in the ground. I should kick your ass for bein' such a bastard and cheatin' on Bella. You don't deserve to breathe the same air that she does!"

"Oh, and you do, Country Boy?"

I laugh at his attempt to insult me. "Well, that's up to her to decide, isn't it? You're obviously happy with your choice to slum it with your secretary. So, why don't you just slink back to where you came from and leave us the hell alone?"

Jake looks from me to Bella a few times before asking, "Bella? What are you doing with this guy? Is this really the kind of person you want to be with?"

Bella looks at me for a few seconds before the most beautiful smile covers her face, then she looks at Jake.

"You know, Jake, I was so pissed off that you cheated on me, and I was even more pissed when I saw you and Leah at your table a few minutes ago, but I have to be honest now. I'm actually thankful for what you did. It showed me exactly what kind of man you are and it lead me to admitting the feelings I have for Edward. I am so relieved to be rid of you and I'm thrilled to be starting my new life with him. Goodbye, Jake."

She looks back at me and Jake is officially dismissed. I don't know when he walks away or whether or not he and Leah stay at the diner, because all I am staring at is the incredible woman in front of me.

"You know, I could let my feminist side rear its head at you declaring me as "yours" and then fighting my battle with Jake for me, but instead I'll just say that I am incredibly turned on right now."

I can't find my voice right now. So, I pull a one hundred dollar bill from my wallet and throw it on the table, before grabbing Bella by the hand and pulling her out of the diner as quickly as I can. She is giggling as we cross the street and run inside her building. It takes all of my inner strength not to slam her up against the elevator wall and take her right there, but I do kiss the hell out of her as we ride up to her floor. When the elevator doors open, she jumps up and wraps her legs around my waist, without breaking our kiss. We somehow make it to her apartment without falling, and she even manages to grab her key and unlock the door while still attached to my lips.

When we get inside, she slides down my body, closes the door, and pushes me onto the couch. She has a primal look in her eyes and I feel my dick straining against my jeans. She pulls my shirt up and over my head, and starts kissing all over my chest. She flicks both of my nipples with her tongue a few times, before she makes her way down my stomach. She settles down on her knees and begins undoing my belt and button-fly. I lean back into the couch cushions as she pulls my jeans and boxers off in one swift motion. The way she is eyeing my cock makes me want to come instantly, but I hold off as best I can.

She slowly drags her tongue from the base of my cock to the tip and then swirls it around the head a couple of times before licking her way back down. She repeats those motions, but this time she wraps her mouth around the tip and takes me all the way inside.

Holy shit, her mouth is amazing. She is all hot, wet and tight around my dick, and she is bobbing up and down in a perfect rhythm. I run my fingers through her hair because I have to touch her in some way. She looks up at me through her lashes and smiles. She fuckin' smiles at me with my dick in her mouth and that is enough to do me in..

"Baby, I'm so close, but I have to be inside you right now," I manage to grunt out.

She slowly pulls her mouth off of me and then yanks her sundress up over her head, showing me that she is only wearing panties. Fuck me. I let out a growl, as I pick her up and lay her down on the couch. I immediately latch onto one of her nipples, while I palm the other breast. I slide her panties down and throw them across the room, not caring where they land, before I open her legs and rub the tip of my dick up and down her wet slit. Her eyes roll back and she moans, "Edward, please. I need you."

Hell, yes. I push all the way into her with one thrust and I grit my teeth at the sensation. I should be more gentle with her but I can't stop myself from just taking her, claiming her as mine. I look into her eyes and they are deep with lust. "I want you to fuck me, Edward. I want to feel you everywhere."

I raise her legs over my shoulders, so that I am in as far as I can be. She bites her lip and throws her head back while her hips move up to meet my thrusts. Her tits are bouncing back and forth as I pump harder and faster. I lean my body closer to hers, and I feel my pelvic bone hit her clit. I know it won't be long before she comes.

"Yes!" she gasps and I feel her walls tightening around my cock. She screams my name as she lets go, and I can't hold back any longer. I come hard and fast inside of her and I am panting her name in reverence, as I wait for my heartbeat to slow back down to its normal rhythm.

I roll her onto my chest as I lay back on the couch. We are both covered with sweat and our bodies are sticking to each other, but we don't care. I kiss her gently before laying my head down and letting sleep take over my body.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Jenny Kate: **Wha? Where am I? Oh, sorry. I was sleeping on the couch with Edward. Totally spent and deliciously sore in all the right places...

**Jiff**: Wake up, JK! You were moaning in your sleep again!

**Jenny Kate: ** Uhhhh, sorry. *clenches legs together* Do you realize how hard it is for me to concentrate now that we opened the lemonade flood gates? I just sit around all damn day thinking about Edward throwing Bella up on that counter...and taking her on the couch...maybe bending her over the...what? Where am I? Can we write some car hood sex? I loooooooove hood sex.

**Jiff**: Yeah, I wonder how often we should have lemons now? Hood sex is good...I know a few of our readers are waiting for hammock sex, too! I'd just like to point out that the story Edward tells about him and Emmett and the motorcycle is actually a story from my hubby's childhood, although he says I told it wrong. He wanted me to clarify that when Emmett (or my BIL, in RL) speed off on the road, there was no "holding on"...he (my hubby) was immediately on the ground with the bike! LOL I had to explain "artistic license" to him, of course!

**Jenny Kate:** I'm not talking to Scooter anyway. He told me I talk too much. *gives Scooter the stink eye* As if!

**Jiff**: Aww, I'm sorry, he hurt your feelings! You know he loves you! You're his BFF! Besides, he's used to me talking too much...he was just givin' you shit! He likes to "pick", y'know!

**Jenny Kate: ** S'okay. I really do talk too much. He's just callin' it like he sees it.

**Jiff**: We got a TON of new readers with the last chapter, so I want to HELLO! and WELCOME! and THANKS FOR READING! All of our readers are awesome!

**Jenny Kate:** I just wanna kiss each and every one of you...and if I had a few drinks in me, I'd slap yer asses...ok, I'd do that anyway! What? I'm an affectionate person. Thank you SOOOOOOO much for reading, reviewing, alerting, favoriting, and rec'ing to your friends! You have no idea how much all of that means to us! ***happy hearts over here in French Settlement***

**Thanks to Smitten_RPattz and my hubby for pre-reading and beta-ing! **Y'all my hubby loves this story, too! (I love that Scooter loves our story! I guess we can go on being BFFs.) Especially the lemons...duh!

* * *

**Jenny Kate's Fic Rec of the Week: **We decided that we'd rec some "oldies, but goodies" this week. Some of our favs we can't rec...'cause they're labeled "contraband"...achem*those we don't speak of having on PDF*achem. So, I'm gonna rec one of my all-time favs, _**Fridays at Noon**_ and it's equally amazing sequel, _**Once Upon a Saturday**_. They are written by **troublefollows1017** and they are two of the best fics I've read. If you enjoy a smokin' hott badassward, you'll love these fics! **http : / www . fanfiction . net/s/6453369/1/ (remove the spaces)**

**Jiff's Fic Rec of the Week: ** My "oldie but goodie" rec is _**The Family Business**_ by **SuzsPetals**. It's a vamp fic but not traditional at all...I don't want to give the story away, just trust me. It is funny and sexy and very well-written! Plus, JK and I got to meet SuzsPetals last fall while we were in FORKS! .net/s/5722140/1/


	15. Things Goin' On

**Disclaimer: We do not claim to own Twilight...or Edward. We do own some stolen hottass pictures of PromoRob. JIff: We do? Jenny Kate: Yeah, you know on our computerz? Once we lick, click, and save, they're ours for the keepin', right? So, we technically own them. Sorta. Jiff: But are they "stolen" pics? I mean, it's not like I'm deleting my Robfile or anything...I was just wondering. Jenny Kate: Let's just call them "borrowed"...with no plans of returning them. How's that? Jiff: My conscience approves. Carry on! Jenny Kate: I feel like my other disclaimer should be "I've never written a lemon, other than a tiny little squeeze from chapter 6, so be gentle and don't look at me all crazy when we get to the bottom of the chapter! I mean it." Now, where were we...**

* * *

**(BPOV)**

As I come out of my deep sleep, I have a smile plastered on my face. Edward is under me and our bodies are entwined together; legs over legs, and fingers laced. Our chests are pressed against one another and it's almost as if there is just one heartbeat. I feel every breath he takes. They are rhythmic and start to lull me back to sleep.

When Edward's phone starts playing _Family Tradition_, I almost fall off of Edward and straight onto the floor. His arms instinctively fold around me and keep me from landing on my ass. I giggle a little, as he reaches for his phone on the coffee table.

"Hello," Edward says groggily into the phone. "Hey, Dad. No, well, yeah...sorta. Bella and I were just, uh, takin' a nap."

My cheeks flush with just the idea of Carlisle knowing that Edward and I were sleeping together. I almost feel like he could see through the phone and know that I'm laying on top of his son. Naked.

"Well, we had a very busy morning."

Ok, this is just too weird. I reluctantly start to roll off of Edward, but he pulls me back down and gives me a stern look and whispers "Where do you think you're goin'?"

"No, I'm talkin' to Bella."

I motion with my head in the direction of the kitchen. He shakes his head "no".

He has one of his arms wrapped tightly around me and he's holding the phone with the other. "So, what's up? Is something wrong?"

His demeanor suddenly takes a serious turn. His brows are furrowed together and his lips are pursed like he is thinking about something. He gradually loosens his grip on me and I take the chance to scurry off to the kitchen. I grab my dress off the floor as I make my exit and slide it over my head.

When I come back into the living room with two glasses of sweet tea, Edward is sitting up on the couch. He's managed to put his jeans back on, but they are unbuttoned. The vision of him sitting there on _my _couch with bare feet and a bare chest is enough to melt my panties. Good thing I'm not wearing any.

He catches me staring and he gives me his award winning smirk. His eyes are smoldering as they latch onto mine. Sometimes when he looks at me like that, I feel like I'm in a trance. I couldn't look away even if I wanted to.

I take a drink of my sweet tea to cool myself off. Damn, I'm really getting the hang of this. Edward made some yesterday and taught me how. Not like it takes a genius to put some sugar in some tea, but apparently there is a proper ratio of sugar and water that needs to be achieved for it to be considered truly "southern sweet tea".

"So, we'll be in touch. Hey, Dad," Edward pauses. "Promise me that you'll keep me in the loop. I want to know every detail of the investigation." He listens to his dad on the other end of the phone for another minute and then ends the call. "Love you, Dad." Edward always tells his mom and dad he loves them before he hangs up. That is just one more thing I love about the Cullens, they are all so open about their emotions.

He picks up his glass of tea, takes a sip, and gives me a nod of approval.

"What did your dad have to say?"

Edward runs his hands through his hair. I have already learned that this is a coping mechanism for him. He does it when he's nervous or frustrated usually. I wonder what is wrong.

I slide closer to him on the couch and run my hand across his stomach. "Hey, everything ok?"

He lets out a long breath of air through his lips and leans back on the couch, wrapping one arm around my shoulders and pulls me back with him. "Damn, I was hoping just to have another relaxin' day with you, but I think we need to talk about some serious shit going on back home."

I start to feel a little anxious. "Ok, let's talk. You're making me nervous."

He kisses my forehead and leaves his lips resting there for a second. "You know I would never do anything to put you in danger, right?"

I look up at him and I see the sincerity in his eyes. Of course, I know that. I've never felt safer in my whole life, than I do when I'm with him. He repositions himself so that he is facing me. His hands grip my shoulders firmly. "Bella, you do know that?"

"Yes, Edward. I know that you would never do anything to put me in danger. Of course, I know that."

"Ok, good. Do you remember all that shit I told you about James when we were driving to Baton Rouge?"

"Yes, you said that James is a liar and he has lived his whole life thinking he is above the law or something like that, but you never really got around to telling me much more than that."

"Well, I didn't really want you to know any more than you had to. I don't know if or how any of it could ever be used against you, but just in case, I didn't want to take the chance."

"Edward, I'm a bi..."

He stops me. "Yeah, I know. You're a big girl. You can take care of yourself. I get that." He runs his hands through his hair again and looks up at me through his lashes. "Bella, I need to try to explain something to you and I don't want you to get your feathers all ruffled, ok?"

I laugh a little. I love the way he says stuff. He's kind of funny even when he doesn't mean to be. "Ok, I'll try not to get my feathers ruffled."

He gives me a serious look. Oh, ok.

"There is this innate part of me that wants to protect what's mine. That's just how men are made. It's not like I'm trying to belittle you by saying that I want to protect you. I really have no other choice, but to protect you. My mind and body won't let me do anything different. Does that make sense?"

I nod my head a little. My eyes scan from his eyes, down to his lips, and back up. I think I'm mentally stuck on the first part of his speech, that part about 'protecting what's his'. I don't know what has come over me, but I suddenly feel very flushed and hot. I might even be tingling between my legs. What the hell is wrong with me?

I swallow. "Go back to that first part."

"Did you not listen to anything I had to say?"

"Yeah, but I need to hear you say that first part again."

"What first part?"

"You said you protect what is yours."

"Yes, Bella. I have a deep need to protect what is mine." He says it so matter-of-factly, without any knowledge of what he is doing to me every time those words leave his lips.

I lean over toward him, until my nose is almost touching his, "Say that again."

"Um, Bella."

I shush him with a finger to his lips. "Just one more time." I swallow again, trying to keep my composure. "Please."

"Bella." Edward says in a low, sultry voice. "Do you like to hear me say that you're mine."

"Don't tease me like that, Edward."

"So, the girl who was so adamant about 'taking care of herself' likes to hear that she's mine." He scoots back a little, putting some distance between us, and folds his arms across his chest. There's that smirk again. Damn him.

The next thing I know, I'm on all fours on the couch, basically crawling toward him. He stiff arms me and keeps me from coming any closer.

I almost feel like growling and pouncing on him. He must see the crazy look in my eyes. What has come over me?

"Uh-uh, stay. I can't have you touching me if I'm going to get through what I need to tell you, and this is really important. Relax. Have a drink of iced tea, Bella," he says and holds my glass out to me, as a peace offering.

I sulk back into my seat on the couch and take a nice long drink.

* * *

**(EPOV)**

I tuck this little gem of knowledge away for later use. So, Bella likes to hear me say that she's mine. My cock twitches at the thought. Yeah, I like it too. A lot.

I've never seen her look at me like that. I love discovering all of these different sides of Bella. I love each one of them for different reasons. I have a feeling there is so much about her I haven't seen yet, and this excites me.

I've got to focus though. My dad just dumped a shit load of information on me, and as much as I don't want to put Bella in any harm, I need to talk to her about it.

"As I was saying, I like to take care of..." I stop there, because the look on Bella's face as she turns her head toward me is primal. I'd like to continue and see where this goes, but as I said, I've got something important to say. Focus. "Just please don't fight me on wanting to protect you."

She doesn't say anything, but she nods her head to let me know she understands what I'm saying.

"Good. I'm glad we cleared that up. The next thing I need to tell you is that there has been a murder in French Settlement."

Her face loses all color and her eyes grow wide. I see the panic in her expression, so I speak fast. "Before you jump to any sort of conclusions, it wasn't anyone you know or would have met while you were there." I reach over and rub her leg, just to assure her that everything is ok. Her expression is sad, but the panic has subsided.

"It was a game warden. You see, the plantation buts up against a wildlife preserve that is maintained by the state of Louisiana. So, there are game wardens that patrol the land. They basically make sure no one violates the laws that are in effect for fish and wildlife. Sometimes, they aid in investigations and such."

"That's really awful, but what does that have to do with James?"

"The warden was killed on Cullen property. My dad thinks that James is responsible."

This time Bella's expression is angry. She narrows her eyes, "James?" Her voice drips with loathing. "Not that I doubt that, but why would James kill a game warden? And why would he kill a game warden on Cullen property?"

I laugh, sardonically. "Oh, Bella, you have so much to learn about James. He really needs no rhyme or reason to anything he does. Most of his actions stem from impulse. He's like a kid trapped in an adult's body. Laurent has basically given him and Victoria everything they've ever wanted. He doesn't know how to say "no" to them. Sometimes, when we were younger, my dad would say that he didn't blame James or Victoria for all the shit they got into. He blamed his brother."

"Wait. Laurent is your dad's brother?" Bella's eyes are wide.

"Yeah, you'd never have guessed that, huh?"

"Well, I mean, I guess if I would have really thought about it, it sort of makes sense. They kind of favor each other and they both work in the field of law." She laughs darkly, to herself. "Except, your dad upholds the law and Laurent breaks it."

"My grandpa was a police chief when they were growing up. He was a damn good one too, nothing like Laurent. My dad says that, if he didn't know better, he would think that Laurent is adopted. He's nothing like the rest of the family. I guess he's the typical 'black sheep'. They were close when they were younger, but my dad says that after their little sister died, something in him snapped. My dad wanted to right all wrongs and make people pay for their mistakes. Laurent went off the deep-end. He basically got the job as police chief riding on my grandpa's shirt tail and good name."

Bella is just sitting, listening intently. "So, that explains how he got into the job, and probably why nobody questions the things he does."

"Exactly. Everyone suspects things, but not very many people are brave enough or stupid enough, whichever way you look at it, to stand up against him. A few have tried, but they have failed miserably."

"And by "failed miserably", you mean..."

"They conveniently disappeared. Went hunting and never came back or they were in a boating accident...their house caught on fire, you name it, it's happened."

Bella lets out a little gasp. "Did James do all of those things?"

"Yeah, most of them. My dad thinks that Laurent basically has James do his dirty work, so that he can keep his hands clean. In return, Laurent makes sure that James never spends a dollar or day in jail for even the slightest misdemeanor."

I pause for a second and let Bella process the information. I know it's a lot to throw at her, but she's handling it pretty well so far. "So, now you see why I don't ever want you around James? He's a very dangerous person, Bella. I hate to think of him ever touching you again." I breathe out my nose, in an attempt to calm myself down, leaning forward resting my arms on my legs. Just thinking about the night that James attacked Bella makes me want to kill him.

"Why does your dad think that James killed the game warden? What's his motive?"

"That's a good question. My dad, Emmett, and I have been working closely with the FBI since the bust at Hot Pockets. My dad said that one of the Feds on the case called him yesterday and told him that they've been tracking James. He's been using the wildlife preserve as a meeting place to buy and sell drugs. I guess, since he can't use the restaurant anymore, he had to find a new place. The Feds decided to set up a sting yesterday to catch James in the act. I'm sure the game warden got in James' way..."

"He'd kill someone just because they were 'in his way'?"

"He's killed for less." I think back on all of the horrible things I know that James has done over the years. I'm sure there is plenty more that I don't know about and don't want to know about.

"The Feds were listening to a wire they had put on the game warden. That's how they knew there was an altercation. They bugged him just in case he came in contact with James. They wanted to be sure they could get all of the evidence they needed to put him away for good. When they heard the shots, they immediately knew that something had gone wrong and that James was at fault. It's just a matter of finding the gun, but they're pretty confident they'll be able to. My dad said that the oddest part was that James moved the body onto my property, right behind my cottage. The actual shots were fired on the preserve. That's where they found the bullet casings. I guess he could have been trying to cover up what he had done, but my dad thinks he was trying to send some kind of message. Maybe, he was tryin' to set me up, who knows?"

"Why would he do that?" Panic starts to rise in her voice. "Why would he leave the body by your cottage?" She pauses.

"James has been pissed at me ever since the night he attacked you. Well, he stays in a constant state of pissed off when it comes to me, but I upped the ante by coming to your rescue. I fucked up his plans with you and then made a spectacle out of him when I kicked him and his family out of the party. James doesn't take lightly to people making him look weak."

"Do you think James would ever hurt you?" She asks in a quiet, small voice.

I look over at her and see where her thought process is taking her. She's staring straight ahead, focused on an unknown spot on the wall in front of her. Her eyes glisten. "I'll kill him." Her voice is low and grave. "If he ever lays a finger on you, I'll kill him."

I reach out to her and pull her to me. "Don't think about stuff like that." She curls herself into me and wraps her arms around me tightly. "James has had plenty of chances over the years to get me, if he wanted to. He may _want_ to kill me, but he would never be that stupid." I think about sitting her back down beside me, because I like to see her face when I'm talking to her. It helps me know what she's thinking or how she's handling the information I'm giving her, but I leave her curled up in my lap. It just feels right.

"James knows that my dad would make sure that he never saw the light of day again. He'd either be six feet under or in solitary confinement before my plot dried."

"Don't say stuff like that, Edward. Please."

"I'm sorry." I kiss the top of her head and breathe deeply. She smells so damn good.

"What James doesn't know is that my dad has been building a case against him for the past two years. He has hard evidence of crimes that James has committed from burglary to grand theft auto. James' employment at Hot Pockets was just a ploy to get more evidence. We knew that he would try something shady. It was just a matter of time."

"So, all that stuff that he was talking about that night, about you and the Feds, that wasn't true?"

"It's true, just not what he thinks. James may be street smart, but all the drugs he's done over the years have definitely killed brain cells. He is convinced that he has ruined me. He thinks that all of the drugs that were sold out of Hot Pockets have been linked back to me. When the Feds started sniffing around the restaurant, Emmett and I knew what was up. We had already bugged the place and had several of James' conversations with drug dealers and local buyers on tape. So, we made a deal with the Feds that we'd make it look like we were taking the blame, if they would hold off on arresting James just a little while longer."

"Why?" Bella sits up and puts her hands on my chest. "Why would you want them to wait? He deserves to be behind bars for the rest of his life, Edward."

"Yes, for the rest of his life, not for a few months or even for a few years."

"I don't understand."

I slide her off my lap, so that I can look her in the eyes. "We knew that we had to get James on more than petty theft or even drug charges. My dad said two years ago, that James would eventually fuck up big time and now he has."

The pieces of the puzzle start to come together in her mind. I see the realization in her expression.

"Killing the game warden...that's a federal offense?"

"Yes. Some game wardens are state employees and others are federal employees. Regardless, this crime will be out of Laurent's jurisdiction. If the FBI can prove that James did this, and they will, Laurent won't be able to get him off and James will be in prison for the rest of his life."

"So, what does your dad want you to do? Do you need to go home?"

I see the sadness in her eyes as she says the last part. I can't stand for her to look that sad, so I close the distance between us and touch my nose to hers, breathing in her scent one more time. "Actually, quite the opposite. He thinks it would be better for me to stay here for a few extra days. Let the dust settle," I say in a low voice. Running my nose down her jaw to her neck, I feel her body shiver. "Does that bother you?"

"Yes. I mean no. Wait. What question am I answering?"

I chuckle as I kiss her neck. "Are you bothered?"

"I'm not bothered that you're staying."

"Then, it's this that bothers you?" I run my nose back up her jaw, until my lips are even with hers.

"Yes, that bothers me. I'm bothered," she stutters, as she lets out a deep breath.

"Speaking of being bothered, I'm a little _bothered_ about what you called me earlier at the diner."

"Mmmmm, my boyfriend? You said that you were my boyfriend," she says in a lazy voice.

"No, not that. I'm more bothered by the "Edward Fucking Cullen" reference from Jake."

She giggled. "Oh, that."

"Yeah, that. Care to tell me what that was all about?"

"I, uh, might have referred to you as "Edward Fucking Cullen" in my break-up speech."

"I'd like to hear that story."

She pulls back away from me. "Are you serious? You don't want to hear that. It's just water under the bridge now. No sense dragging up the past."

"Oh, no. I insist." I don't really care, but seeing her flustered is so damn cute, I can't help myself.

Her cheeks are nice and pink, and she looks down to her lap, as she plays with the imaginary string on her dress. "Well, I was so pissed when Jake told me that he had slept with Leah. I was ready to kill him in the restaurant and then kill everyone else, so that there wouldn't be any witnesses. I know, it's a little melodramatic, but it's the truth." She looks up at me, "But you know what pissed me off more than the fact that Jake had slept with Leah?"

"What?"

"The fact that I had kept my distance from you the entire week I was in French Settlement. I didn't trust myself to be alone with you because I felt an immediate attraction. I knew I was attracted to you that first night at Hot Pockets. I also knew that I didn't feel that way for Jake, and that I quite possibly had never felt that level of attraction for him. I wanted to fly home and break up with him and fly back. Those couple of kisses that we shared were almost the death of me. I wanted you so bad. Then, the realization hit me that I didn't know if or when I would ever see you again. So, when he said that he had slept with Leah while I was gone, and had been for the past month, I just went off."

Her voice gets a little quiet and she starts mumbling, "I told him 'I didn't have sex with Edward Fucking Cullen, because I was trying to do the right thing...'"

"So, now I'm 'Edward Fucking Cullen', huh?" I smirk, trying to hold in the laugh that is threatening to escape.

Bella slaps my chest playfully. "What? I was pissed, OK?"

"I think that was a Freudian slip."

"Whatever. You think very highly of yourself, Mr. Edward Fucking Cullen." She grins and lowers her eye lashes.

"You wanted to fuck me."

She licks her lips and looks back up at me through her lashes. Fuck.

"Is that what you want, Edward? Do _you _want to fuck me?" She puts the ball back in my court.

I grab her ass and have her sitting on top of me in one swift movement. Nose to nose, I let my lips brush hers. "Baby, I want to fuck you so hard, but..."

"Don't say 'but', just do...no buts."

I kiss her hard. Her lips part, inviting me in. I bite her bottom lip and run my tongue across to sooth it. Her hands are in my hair, tugging gently and then pulling me closer. I slide my hand up her thigh, under her dress, and I'm rewarded with the fact that Bella never put her panties back on. There is a god.

I squeeze her ass and move my hand up her back. Bella breaks our kiss and whispers in my ear, "Tell me what you told me earlier."

"Mine," I breathe back into her ear.

"I need you," she says, before she kisses me hard again. "I want you, so bad. Please."

I stand up with Bella's legs wrapped around my waist and head toward the bedroom.

"Stop."

I pull back from her lips and look her in the eyes. I'm getting ready to sit her down, thinking there is something wrong, when she says, "Table."

Her lips are on my neck and my head feels cloudy, making it hard to process information. "What?"

"Table. Fuck me on the table." She takes my face between her hands, so that I'm looking her square in the eyes. "Not making love or having sex, fucking. Got that?" Damn, she's bossy. I love it.

She doesn't have to tell me twice. I spin around and take a few wide strides, until Bella's ass is hovering over the table. I lower her down and pull her dress up and over her head in the same motion. God, she's gorgeous. I want to kiss every inch of her skin, leaving not one spec untouched by my lips, but not now, later. Right now, I'm going to fuck Bella Swan. She asked for it. How can I say 'no' to that?

I lay her back against the table, and run my finger down her neck, between her breasts, across her stomach, and to her slit. She's so wet. If my dick wasn't already hard as a rock, it would be now. Bella starts to squirm under my touch. I push two fingers inside of her, just to make sure she's ready for me. I take the wetness from her pussy and coat my cock with it. Her entrance is at a perfect height. When I lean forward, I slide right in. The first few thrusts I make nice and slow. I want to give her what she wants, but I don't want to hurt her.

"Edward," she warns again, making eye contact with me, pleading.

I lean over, supporting my weight on my arms, and bend forward, putting my lips at her ear. "Bella, I'm getting ready to fuck you so hard, you'll be screamin' my name for days. Are you ready?"

"Mmmhmm" is all she manages to whimper.

I pull out of her and she hisses at the loss of contact. Taking her by her hips, I flip her over and pull her back to the edge of the table. "I'm gonna need you to hold on tight. Can you do that for me, Baby?" She nods her head in response.

She is a glorious sight to behold. Her hair is splayed out across her back, a perfect contrast against her milky skin.

I reach between her legs and run my middle finger up and down her slit, pushing three fingers in this time. When I pull them out, I can't resist bringing them up to my nose. I want to smell her and taste her, so I do. The scent is intoxicating and she tastes amazing. I can't wait any longer. I line up my cock with her pussy, teasing her with the tip. Bella begins to push back against me, so I give her what she wants. I slam into her with enough force to shake the table.

"Oh, God, yes," she yells out.

That's the spot.

I thrust into her over and over. Bella's hands are firmly gripping the edges of the table. Seeing her like this, spread out in front of me, and watching my cock slide in and out of her, it's almost too much. I feel myself losing what little control I'm hanging onto. I know she won't be able to last much longer either, because I can feel her walls begin to contract around me. I reach around and find her clit, making circles and putting just the right amount of pressure where she needs it the most. She chants mine and God's name, as she falls apart. I'm done for.

I hold firmly onto her hips as I ride out my own release. We both stay exactly where we are, neither wanting to move. Bella moans with satisfaction. I lean over her, kissing her hair, and whisper in her ear, "Mine."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Jenny Kate: **Jiff, you do these A/Ns by yourself. I'm gonna go hide in the bathroom.

**Jiff**: *passes you a Xanax and a brown, paper bag* Settle down, JK. I know you're freaking out right now but it's a great lemon. Our readers will love it! The most important thing is that Edward and Bella love it...and I'm pretty sure they do! At least, they sounded satisfied to me...

**Jenny Kate**: *pops the pill and breathes deeply into the bag* Maybe since I popped my lemon cherry it'll be easier next time. (twss) Ok, let's talk about something else. My hives are starting to come back. I think we should say that we know NOTHING about law enforcement or any of that sort of thing. We have taken creative license with the whole James situation, so don't question us. This is the law according to JiffyKate!

**Jiff**: Huh? Wha? I'm sorry, I was thinking about lemon cherries...it made my mouth water a little...I'm just sayin. Ok, so, yes! The law according to JiffyKate...as it should be! I like it!

**Jenny Kate: ** I love lemon cherries. I should have never put those two words together. We should stop this conversation right here, before we lose readers.

**Jiff**: No! We can't lose readers! We have the best readers ever! They rec and review and they even admit to liking our A/Ns!

**Jenny Kate**: They really are the BEST EVER! We love you guys more than you'll ever know! We know (from personal experience) that there are thousands of awesome fics out there to read, so THANK YOU for taking the time to read ours! Your reviews have been awesome, even the "good chapter" or "thanks for writing". It's just nice knowing that you're out there!

**Jiff**: We love you more than our luggage! ***Ass slaps* to the first person who can name the movie that line is from!**

**Jenny Kate:** I'll throw in a boob grope, for good measure. :)

* * *

**JK's and Jiff's Fic Recs of the Week:** We'd like to basically recommend that you read any and everything ever written or that may be written in the future by **Savage7289**. She's a fan fic genius. The way she writes a story makes you forget that you're reading fan fiction.

**Our Favorites:**

_**Unexpected Circumstances**_ (complete) - All Hail Sir Edward! ** www . fanfiction s / 6496709 / 1 / Unexpected_Circumstances** (remove spaces)

_**Offside**_ (complete) - Soccerward lives! ** www . fanfiction s / 7036128 / 1 / Offside **(remove spaces)

_**Transcendence**_ (complete) - Ehd luffs Beh. ** www . fanfiction s / 7570951 / 1 / Transcendence**(remove spaces)

_**Win Some Lose Some**_ (WIP) - ** www . fanfiction s / 7922076 / 1 / Win_Some_Lose_Some **(remove spaces)


	16. For Once In My Life

**Disclaimer: We do not own Twilight. Stephenie Meyer has that by the balls. But we do own a new love and appreciation for SoCo Sours! We were together last weekend for SWATH and we thought we'd order our drink, since we talk about it all the time. Surprisingly enough, it was DE-licious! JiffyKate approved! Next time we're together, you'll be able to credit our drunk tweets to SoCo Sours. You may be thinking, we've lost our marbles or that maybe you've lost your marbles...but don't check yourself into the crazy bin just yet. It's only Monday. We'll tell you more about why we're posting early at the end. Now, onto to SoCo...**

* * *

**(EPOV)**

"Edward...no...no, not Edward...stop!"

I jerk awake at the sound of Bella talking in her sleep. She's having a nightmare and it's about me. Her hands are gripping at the sheets and she is rolling her head from side to side; the expression on her face is one of pure anguish.

I pull her close to me and move the hair away from her face. "Shhh...shhh, Bella. I'm ok. Everything is fine, Darlin'." I continue to whisper in her ear and hold her tight, while giving her soft kisses, until she finally settles down. I hate that she had a nightmare involving me. I have a feeling her dream was caused by the news about James and that makes me hate him even more.

I'm wide awake now, and although I hate leaving Bella alone in her bed, I really need to get up and make some phone calls. I want to see if my parents know anything new about James and I also need to touch base with Emmett. I haven't talked to him in a few days and I need to make sure everything is going good at the restaurants. Maybe after I make my calls, I'll make Bella breakfast in bed. I bet she'll like that and I am all about makin' my girl happy.

I somehow manage to slide out of bed without waking Bella and I throw on some shorts and a T-shirt before sneaking out of her room, quietly closing her door behind me. While I am making my way into the kitchen, I notice our clothes from yesterday spread out all over Bella's living room and dining room. I can't help but smile as I think back on the fun we had. I'm gonna miss seeing Bella and being with her all the time when I go home. Hopefully, we won't stay apart for too long, though.

I walk around and pick up our clothes, putting them in a pile close to the bedroom. On my way to the kitchen, I grab my phone and call my dad.

"Edward?"

"Hey, Mama. I wasn't expectin' you to answer...where's Dad?"

"Well, it's great to talk to you, too, Son! I'm doin' just fine, thanks for askin'!" My mama is a master at guilt trips.

"Sorry, Mama. I was just anxious to see if there were any updates about James, but that can wait. How are you doin'?"

"Baby Boy, I'm just fine. You know I gotta give you a hard time! How's Bella? You make her your girlfriend yet?"

I feel the tops of my ears turn red, as I smile and answer, "Yeah, Mama, she's my girl."

"I knew it! I'm so happy for you, Honey! I wish I could just reach through this phone and give you a big ol' squeeze!"

"I'm happy, too. We both are. I'm not sure how we're gonna work this long-distance thing out, but I'm willin' to do whatever it takes for us to be together." I hear some snifflin' on my mama's end of the line. "Mama, are you cryin'?"

Sniff, sniff. "No! Well, yes, dammit! A mama is allowed to cry when her sons have found the loves of their lives, ain't she? I'm just so happy for you and Emmett!"

"Emmett? What's goin' on with Emmett?"

"Oh, crap. I wasn't supposed to say anything! Just play dumb the next time you talk to him."

"I don't think that'll be a problem since I still don't know what's goin' on. I'm gonna call him in a minute anyway. But first, is Dad around?"

"I'm sorry Edward, he stayed up all night workin' on all that stuff to do with James. I finally sent him to bed around 4 this morning. He was as tired as a cucumber in a convent, poor thing."

I cringe at her words. That's just gross. She says the damndest things sometimes. "That's ok, Mama. He can call me later if he has any news. I'll talk to you soon, ok?"

"Ok, Darlin'. Take care of that sweet girl, you hear? I love you."

"I love you, too, Mama. Bye."

I hang up the phone and immediately dial Emmett's number. I'm even more anxious to talk to him now. While the phone is ringing, I start making a pot of coffee and looking through Bella's cabinets, trying to decide what to cook for breakfast.

"Joe's Pizza! Will this be delivery or carryout?"

It was funny the first time he answered his phone this way...5 years ago. Now? Not so much.

"Really, Emmett, you need to find some new material. I'm not fallin' for that shit any more."

"Ah, yeah, but it was funny as hell when you did fall for it! My little brother...so fuckin' guillible."

"Shut up. What the hell are you doin' up so early anyway?"

"Dude! You're the one who called ME! Why did you call if you didn't think I'd be up? And, since you asked, I am up this early because I have a date today!"

"A date? You're gettin' ready for a date at...what time is it there...8 in the mornin'? Who the hell are you datin', Rosy Palms?"

"Ha. Ha. Well, now that I think about it, you got the first part of the name right...I'm seein' Rosalie today! You know I've been dying to ask her out on a real date for ages. Well, I finally asked her the other day and she fuckin' said 'yes', Bra! The two of us are spendin' the day with Carter at the zoo! I can't wait to show that little man my gorilla impression!"

Finally. He finally asked Rose out and she finally said yes. It's about damn time.

"Hey, Man, that's great. I'm happy for you both. Just don't do anything to fuck it up. I don't think Rose gives 3rd chances."

"No worries! I'm gonna sweep her off her big-ass feet! Oh, shit. Don't tell her I said anything about her big-ass feet...I mean, her feet! She does have really big feet, but it's because she's so damn tall...but I love how tall she is, I do. I think she's the most beautiful girl in the world..."

Good Lord. Emmett rambling is a dangerous thing. "Emmett! Chill the fuck out, Man! You're gonna ruin your date before it even gets started if you're not careful. Just go and have fun...without makin' an ass of yourself."

"Yeah, fun...don't be an ass. Yeah, I got it, E, thanks! Oh, and don't worry about Hot Pockets and Bump and Grind. Everything is fine. Dad told me about James and that he wants you to stay up there for a while, so I got you covered."

"Thanks, Em, I appreciate it. I'm makin' Bella some breakfast now, so I need to get off the phone before I burn the pancakes."

"Ooohhh, cookin' for Miss Bella! Sounds like things are goin' well for you, too! Tell her I said 'Hey', alright? I gotta go; it's about time to pick up Rose and Carter. Love you, Bra!"

Emmett hangs up before I can respond, but that's okay. I put my phone down so I can concentrate on cooking. I've never cooked for a girl like this before. Ever. I cook all the time for my family and close friends, but cook for a girlfriend? No way. I've never even had a real girlfriend before so this is all very new for me. I really hope I don't fuck it up.

I actually love to cook. That's why I opened Hot Pockets in the first place. I used to sneak in the kitchen and watch my Mimi and Mama cook when I was younger. It was fascinating to me because they never used a recipe. They would simply take whatever ingredients they had on hand and turn them into a delicious feast every time. I can cook some dishes like they did, but I also use recipes. I'm still tryin' to talk Mama into writin' her recipes down so I'll have a copy of them whenever I need them. I just like the idea of having them on paper permanently, possibly to pass on to my kids and grandkids and so on. It's a way to preserve my family's history in a way.

I dig around until I find a tray and I cover it with plates of pancakes and sausage, as well as coffee, syrup, and utensils. I carry the tray carefully into Bella's bedroom and place it on the foot of her bed as I gently wake her up.

"Bella? Bella, Baby, it's time to wake up." I kiss her lightly on her lips and forehead.

She slowly opens her eyes and smiles at me. I could definitely get used to seein' that every mornin'.

"What smells so good?" She asks sleepily.

"I made breakfast," I point to the tray.

"Really?" She sits up with her tank top twisted around her waist and her hair looks like she was screwed 10 ways from Sunday. Oh, that's right. She was. I internally pump my fist.

"Pancakes and sausage? Wow, Edward, that's so sweet. Thank you."

"It was my pleasure. Sit back and let me put the tray over your lap. I have enough for both of us on here...I hope you don't mind sharin' your tray with me." I smile at her.

"Of course, not." She takes a bite of her pancakes and I find myself nearly droolin' at how she licks away the syrup that has dripped onto her chin. She then moans her approval of my cooking and I feel my cock spring to life. Down boy. There'll be plenty of time for that later. We have all day.

I can't help but kiss her sticky lips after her second bite. This time, I lick the syrup off myself and my eyes roll in the back of my head. "Mmmmm, you taste so good."

She smiles shyly at me. "Have you been up long? How did you sleep?"

"Nah, I haven't been up too long, but I think I slept better than you did. Do you remember having a bad dream?"

She takes a sip of her coffee as she thinks about what I've asked. Finally, her eyes get wide and she looks at me, panic-stricken. "Yes! I do remember now. Oh my god, Edward! I dreamed you were framed for the game warden's murder and you were taken away to prison!"

Her eyes tear up and I feel terrible for making her remember her dream. I put my hands on the sides of her face and I wipe the tears that have fallen. "Hey, I'm ok, Baby. Nothing is going to happen to me. I'm sorry I asked about your dream. I was just worried about you." I kiss her softly, but Bella quickly intensifies the kiss by sliding her tongue into my mouth. I'm so glad she's over her "morning breath" aversion.

I scoot up close to her without knocking over our tray of food and I kiss her back with as much passion as I can. I run my fingers through her hair while I start kissing her across her cheek and down her neck.

She moans my name and leans her head to the side to give me more room to kiss. It is then that I hear a beeping noise coming from the table on Bella's side of the bed. I try to ignore it, but it won't stop. It just keeps on beeping and beeping. Finally, I pull away from Bella's neck, because I can't take it any more.

"Sorry. That's my voicemail notification. 'd better see who it is." She lets go of me and turns and picks up her phone. She looks at the screen, but frowns when she sees who the caller was. "It's my mom. I haven't talked to her since I got back from Louisiana...I'd better listen to her message."

I sit back and start eating my food again. It's a good thing pancakes are still good when they're cold. I really don't feel like reheating them. That would mean getting out of Bella's bed again and I don't want to do that any time soon.

"Oh shit!" I look at Bella, surprised at her outburst. She hangs up the phone and looks at me with terror in her eyes.

"My mom is coming over! She'll be here in 30 minutes!"

* * *

**(BPOV)**

I move the tray of food closer to Edward so I can get out of bed. I instantly start pacing and biting my nails, completely freaking out about my mom coming over.

"Bella, Honey, what's the matter? Why are you so freaked out about your mama bein' here?"

"I don't know! I guess, because I have so much to tell her...about Louisiana, about Jake, about YOU...and I don't know how she's going to take it!"

"Do you want me to leave?" He sounds so sad when he asks this and my heart breaks.

Why am I so stupid?

I pick up our breakfast tray from Edward's lap and I put it on the floor before I crawl over to him and straddle his lap. I grab his face with both of my hands and look deep into his eyes. "Of course, I don't want you to leave. I'm so sorry I made you feel that way. I just get so freaked out when she does her little 'surprise visits' and I didn't know if you'd want to meet her yet and I'm an idiot, okay? Please, forgive me." I kiss him on his cheek, over his eyes, and his other cheek, before landing on his mouth. I want to kiss away the look that was on his face and make sure it never comes back.

Edward kisses me so hard, it takes my breath away. Too soon, he is pulling away from my mouth. "It's okay, Bella. I understand that it might not be the best time for me to meet your mom. I was just trying to make things easier for you."

"No, I want you here with me. I need you here." I hear the desperation in my voice, but I am not ashamed. I need for him to know how much he means to me. "Please, don't leave."

"I'm not goin' anywhere, Angel." He cups my face and kisses me gently. I sigh, relieved that he is staying and that he has so easily forgiven me. "You might want to think about gettin' cleaned up a bit before your mom gets here, though. Unless, you want her to see your 'sex hair'. If that's the case, I think we have time to mess it up a bit more," he says as he grabs my ass.

"Don't tease me! I'd much rather stay in bed with you than face her right now."

"Is she really that bad?"

"No. I'm not being fair to her. She isn't bad at all. She's just a mom, you know? She means well, but she's very protective and opinionated. She can be quite judgemental, but not nearly as bad as my dad." I am so not looking forward to talking to him either. "She's gonna be so surprised I broke up with Jake. She thought we were the perfect couple." I roll my eyes.

"Well, I have been known to charm a few moms in the past...I'm sure I can work some of my magic on her, if needed." He waggles his eyebrows at me, then ducks when I throw a pillow at him.

"Eww, that's gross, Edward! You'd hit on my mom just to make her like you?"

He suddenly looks horrified. "No! That's not what I meant! I mean, I can be very charming and personable. People just like me, you know?"

"Uh-huh. Oh, I know just how much people like you. Do I need to remind you how I got your phone number in the first place?"

That did it. He is off the bed in a flash and has me pinned against my wall before I know what has happened.

"Bella. You are the only person I want to be with, got it? That fuckin' wall has been repainted already so I really don't care if anyone else wants to have a good time with me. Only you." His eyes are staring into mine intensely and I can feel his erection hitting my center perfectly. I whimper at both his words and the feeling of him pressed against me.

He kisses me on the forehead and then steps away from me. "Now, go get washed up. I'll go clean the kitchen before your mom gets here." He smiles at me, knowing he is leaving me all worked up and sexually frustrated.

"You don't play fair, Edward Cullen," I grumble as I walk into my bathroom. I can't help but laugh when I hear him answer, "that's Edward fuckin' Cullen, to you!"

When I get out of the bathroom, Edward is sitting on the couch in the living room talking on his phone. I can hear the tone in his voice, and it sounds serious. I head into the bedroom to find something to wear. I hate when my mom decides to surprise me with a visit. It puts me in such a frazzled state of mind. Something is a little different this time though. I feel like I'm ready for her, like I'm ready for all of her inquisitions. She's always wanting to know what I'm doing with my life and when I'm going to settle down. For the first time in my life, I actually feel like I have my bearings. My future is becoming clearer. I owe that to Edward, in more ways than one.

I must have been caught up in my own little world, because the next thing I know the shower is running. Edward must have snuck in there without me hearing him. I would love to join him, but I know I have to stay focused and get ready. I would hate for my mom to walk in on one of mine and Edward's moments. My cheeks kind of hurt from smiling so much at that thought. I swear he's like my own personal brand of heroin. I just can't get enough of him.

I pick out a comfortable pair of jeans and a nice top, but instead of putting on some stuffy shoes, I opt for my flip-flops that I bought while I was in French Settlement. Something about them makes me feel at home and relaxed. I would never wear these out on the streets, because I would come home with a serious case of blackfoot, but they are great for around the house. A little piece of Louisiana in New York.

I smell Edward, even though I can't hear him or see him. I know he's close. It's comforting. He always smells amazing when he gets out of the shower. I guess it's just eau de Edward mixed with his shower gel or whatever. I'm going to have to do some detective work before he leaves. I'll need some things to help me get by while we're apart, which I hate thinking about. My mind immediately goes to a sad state. I feel like everyone I've ever truly loved in my life has been removed from it in one way or another. I can't lose Edward. I won't lose Edward.

The doorbell rings and interrupts my thoughts. Deep breaths. It's just my mother. She carried me in her womb for eight and a half months. She has to love me no matter what. She doesn't get a choice. Ok, good pep talk.

"You want me to get that?" There stands Edward looking better than I've ever seen him, and that's saying a lot. He looks good at all times. He looks deliciously sexy first thing in the morning, he's a vision when he's cooking, and he's hot as fuck in bed. But right now, he's stunning, if that's an ok word to describe a manly man like Edward. He's standing there in a v-neck black t-shirt, dark wash blue jeans, clean shaven, and perfectly imperfect hair.

I'm pretty sure my panties are drenched. What a lovely way to greet my mother. I'll have to thank him for this later.

"Um, no. I've got it," I manage to get. "I should get it."

He smiles at me and steps to the side, looking completely relaxed. He whispers, "Remember, I'm 'Edward Fuckin' Cullen'," winking and pointing to himself.

I bust up laughing. Ok, that worked.

After I gather my composure, I open the door and there's my mom. She's always so put together. I'm a little shocked that she's dressed-down today. She's wearing a pencil skirt sans panty hose and a sheer shell with a light blue cardigan. No suit, but one thing my mother is never without, heels. I think it's a power thing. "Isabella, you look absolutely beautiful!"

"Thank you, Mom. So do you, as always."

She walks in and we hug, briefly.

Taking my face in her hands, she examines my appearance. "Such a charmer, just like your..." she starts to say, but trails off as she notices that we're not alone.

Letting go, she steps back toward the door.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had company. I didn't mean to interrupt. Perhaps, I should stop back by later in the day?"

"No, Mom. That's not necessary." I move closer to Edward, taking his hand. "He will still be here later in the day," I say with a smile. "This is my boyfriend, Edward Cullen." Boyfriend just doesn't sound like a strong enough title, but I guess it'll do for now. I didn't even think about how those words would feel coming out of my mouth, especially to my mother, but they feel great. They feel right.

Edward steps forward and offers his hand to my mother. "Hello, it's so nice to finally meet you," he says smoothly. She smiles and accepts politely, but keeps her distance.

"Well, I, uh...I wasn't aware that..." I've obviously rendered her speechless, which is a feat in itself. "What happened to Jake?" So tactful and straight to the point.

"Let's go have a seat. Could I get you something to drink? Sweet tea?"

"Just a glass of water," she says as she follows me into the living room. Edward motions towards the kitchen, to let me know that he'll get the drinks. I don't blame him. I'd go hide out in the kitchen right now too, if I could.

She takes a seat in the chair by the big window that takes up one side of my apartment. I sit on the couch right beside it, facing her. "Jake and I broke up. I meant to call and tell you, but I haven't had the chance. I've been busy since I got back from my trip."

"But, Bella. You two were perfect for each other." I knew she would say that. "What happened?"

"Mom, Jake and I weren't perfect for each other. You wanted us to be, but we weren't...we never were."

"I think you're afraid of commitment. Jake would have married you."

"Mother, I am not afraid of commitment. I am perfectly fine with commitment. It was the person." I feel myself start to get defensive. I don't want this to turn into an argument, especially with Edward in the other room. "Listen, I know I shouldn't have waited until today to drop this on you. I know that you care about Jake and that you wanted to see us together, but he's not the one for me." I see the disappointment in her face. "Jake and I were a wrong fit from the start. I felt my life becoming something that I hated. It was predictable and boring. What Jake and I had was a just a casual friendship with occasional benefits."

"Bella!"

"It's true, Mom. I'm twenty-six years old. I think you can handle hearing that I have a sex life, if that's what you can even call what Jake and I had. I didn't want to live like that...without love or passion. That's no way for anyone to live." I look at her, pleading with her to understand. "I wanted to feel appreciated and cherished. I wanted to feel _truly_ loved." I pause for a minute, realizing that Edward has walked back into the room. We make brief contact and his eyes look kind of sad. I look back to my mom and her's look similar. "Does any of that make sense?"

She lets out a big sigh and leans back in the chair, relaxing a little. "It makes perfect sense." She looks out the window, as she continues, "You're right. Everyone deserves to feel those things." She lightly wipes under her eyes and straightens up a little in the chair, "even me."

"Of course, you do." The realization is hitting me that my mom and I have something else in common.

She starts again, without any prompting, baring her soul. "Your father and I got married so young. Neither one of us knew what we wanted back then. We thought we were doing what was right. We both loved you from the very beginning. It just seemed like that's all we needed to make things work. We continued doing the 'right thing' for the past twenty-six years. I guess what we've come to realize is that we love each other, we're just not _in_ love with each other, and just as you so eloquently put it, everyone deserves to feel _truly _loved."

"I feel like I've lived a lie." I feel the tears prick at my eyes, just as a strong hand lightly touches my back. Edward begins stroking the ends of my hair, just letting me know he's there. "I feel like my life has been a lie." I finally get it off my chest, the feeling I've been holding onto since the first day I heard that they were getting a divorce.

My mom leans forward in her chair, closer to where I'm sitting. "Bella, sweetie. That's so far from the truth. The truth is that your father and I love you dearly. You're just going to have to remember the happy times. We never wanted anything but the best for you."

"I want you both to be happy." It's the truth. They're my parents and I love them. "If I have learned anything from being around the Cullens, it is that family is what is most important in life. I don't want to waste time being mad at you guys. I just want you to be happy."

My mom gives me a small teary-eyed smile. "I'm so glad to hear you say that. We just want you to be happy too. That's all we want."

"Edward makes me happy." I turn to him and the smile on his face lights up the whole room, as he looks at me with those deep green eyes. "For once in my life I'm not afraid of where life is going to lead me. I don't feel alone anymore."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Jenny Kate: **Um, thanks to Stevie Wonder for lending a little help there at the end. I guess we should say that we don't own the lyrics to 'For Once In My Life', but we're glad Stevie wrote them. "You're mah boy, Blue!" So, we're posting on late Monday night instead of late Tuesday night, but never fear, we have a good reason! Tell them, Jiffy Lube.

**Jiff: **Um, so, like, there is this boycott-thing going on a certain website that you all are VERY familiar with, if you catch mah drift. And, I really hope you catch mah drift because I don't want to have to get into too many details and I'm sure you've all heard about it a million times by now. So, anyway, there is this boycott going on that we may or may not be participating in and could affect our posting on Friday night. We are so excited about what is happening and what is about to happen in our story that we didn't want to keep it from you any longer than we normally do. JK and I decided to post this chapter tonight and we'll post the next one in a couple of days so that you will get your 2 updates this week before the boycott! See how much we love you! Especially Katie Boberg! ;-)

**Jenny Kate: **Yep, we love that Katie Boberg hard! *slaps her ass* You know who else we love hard (besides all of you who have ever stopped by here)? Nic the ffwhisperer! She's been so amazing to us these past few weeks. First of all, she read and reviewed our story! Get out! Then, she rec'd it on her FB group page! SHUT UP! THEN, she nominated our story for the Fic of the Week poll over at The Lemonade Stand! THE HELL YOU SAY? So, this has been an epic week for SoCo. Who would have guessed that our little story would end up on The Lemonade Stand?

**Jiff**: Not me! That's another thing we can scratch off our Fic Bucket List, though! I'm so happy!

**Jenny Kate**: I'm just beside myself. It's ridiculous. We've done so much shameless pimping the last few days, what's a little bit more? So, if you love our story or even just kinda like it...or can be persuaded with Rob porn, please stop by The Lemonade Stand (www . tehlemonadestand . net - remove the spaces and leave "the" misspelled) and vote for SoCo!

**Jiff**: Thank you, ALL of you, for your incredible support! You rock our worlds!


	17. Wanted Dead or Alive

**Disclaimer: So, the obligatory disclaimer...we do NOT own Twilight or Edward or Bella. Steph Meyer owns that cash cow. We should also put a different kind of disclaimer up for this chapter...something along the lines of "we can not be held responsible for the..." Yeah, nevermind. We're totally responsible. Just remember, if you kill us, you won't get any more Cajunward. And that would be sad, right?**

**Last minute side note: FFN is jacking up the formatting. So, if there are spaces missing, I didn't do it! I tried to go through and fix it all, but I might have missed a few. **

**Now, back to story...**

* * *

**(EPOV)**

I knew that it would be hard leaving Bella. I just didn't realize that the pain in my chest would be so severe. It feels like someone punched me and my throat feels tight as I try to hold off any tears. My mama raised us to be in touch with our feelings, but I don't want to look like a pussy crying in public.

I miss her so bad already. I feel like I left a part of me back there in New York. I did. Bella is a part of me now. I'll never be able to live a day without her. I need her like I need the air I breathe.

Our last couple of days together were perfect, even meeting her mother. Renee Swan is not as bad as I thought she was going to be. She's like an M&M. She has a hard outer shell, but she's soft inside. Bella is a lot like her mother in that way, just not as extreme. Once they were able to air out their feelings, our afternoon was really enjoyable.

Renee told a few stories about Bella when she was a little girl. I think the one that stuck with me the most was one that she told about a summer she spent with her grandma and grandpa in Mississippi.

She said that Bella was about five years old this particular summer and she had flown from New York to Mississippi all by herself. When Bella got back to New York, she was at school one day when Renee got a call that the principal needed to speak with her or Charlie at the end of the day. So, Renee took the afternoon off and went up to the school to meet with Bella's teacher and principal. They proceeded to tell her that during the day's lesson, each child was asked to tell about their summer break. Bella told about fishing in the river with her grandma and grandpa. I guess the teacher asked Bella to tell the class what kind of bait they used for fishing and Bella told the whole class that they used "little bastards" to fish with. The teacher said she was sure that Bella must be mistaken, but Bella kept insisting over and over that they fished with "little bastards". The more the teacher tried to keep her from saying it, the more adamant Bella became about her answer. By the time Renee met with the teacher that afternoon, she was so flustered. She said that all of the other children kept asking what "little bastards" were. I guess she had the whole class in an uproar.

Renee was in tears as she finished telling the story. We were all three laughing so hard. I can just imagine little five year old Bella doing that. Renee said that twenty-one years ago, she was definitely not laughing.

"I came home and immediately called Charlie's mom. I told her that, if they were going to teach my child to say things of that nature, she wouldn't be able to have anymore unsupervised visits," Renee recounted the story of her giving Grandma Swan an ear full. She said that Bella's grandma laughed so hard, and by the time she was composed enough to finish the conversation, Renee was laughing. I guess Grandpa Swan did get in trouble for teaching Bella to call minnows "little bastards", but from the sounds of things that didn't stop him. Their stories continued through the afternoon, from Grandpa Swan's colorful vocabulary to Grandma Swan's cooking. I could tell that Renee was fond of them and has good memories of their time together, as does Bella.

Why Bella never saw them much as she grew older is still a mystery to me. I probably won't figure that one out until I get to meet Charlie. Now, _that_ introduction scares me a little.

Bella thought about calling him yesterday so we could just get it over with, but we decided that we wanted to spend our last day together without interruptions. Just the two of us.

We had planned on going sight-seeing or back down to Shades of Brown for some coffee, but we ended up never leaving her apartment. I think we both just wanted to soak up as much of the other as we possibly could. I realize now that I could have spent two weeks with Bella and it wouldn't have been enough. I would still be sitting here in this seat on the plane back to Louisiana missing her just as bad.

Bella and I both hated parting ways without knowing an exact date when we would see each other again, but we agreed that no matter what, by this time next month, she will either fly to Louisiana or I will fly back to New York. Four weeks is too long to go without her, but I have responsibilities and obligations. She also has things she needs to do too. We're adults with lives that we had before the other walked in and turned everything upside down. We can't just drop everything to be together. I have to believe that this will all work out.

Once my plane lands, I make my way out to the shuttle area and hitch a ride to my truck. I promised Emmett that I would meet him at Bump N Grind to go over some paperwork and inventory. I really owe him one for keeping everything afloat while I've been gone.

Besides business, we also need to discuss James. My dad called the other day, while I was still in New York, to inform me that James had been brought in, but they had let him go on a hefty bond. I'm sure Laurent would put up any amount of money to keep him out of jail for as long as he can. Fortunately, that time will run out soon. They have enough evidence to formally charge him, so the judge has revoked the bond as of this morning. James has exactly 72 hours to turn himself in at the Livingston Parish Courthouse. I, for one, will breathe easier when James is behind bars for good.

Walking into a nightclub during the day is always so different than at night. You can actually tell what color the carpet and walls are, and without the fog machines blasting, it looks like an upstanding establishment. There are only a few people working right now. The head bartenders are making sure the bars are fully stocked and clean. There are a few bus boys carrying cases of beer out from the stockroom, and our daytime manager is here supervising, making sure everything is perfect for when the nighttime manager starts his shift. Emmett and I run a smooth operation.

As I walk through the bar area, headed for the offices, a few of the guys look up and nod their heads at me in acknowledgement or ask how I'm doing, but, mostly, they leave me alone. I open the door to the office I share with Emmett and find him on the phone. As soon as he sees me, he excuses himself from the conversation and walks up to me in about 3 long strides.

"Hey, Bra!" he says as he pulls me into a hug and starts slapping me on the back so hard I begin to cough.

"Dammit, Em! I'm glad to see you, too, but stop beatin' the shit out of me!"

He rolls his eyes at me. "Whatever, E! Stop bein' such a pussy!" He grabs me by my arms and moves me away from the door, lookin' at the area behind me.

"What, Em, you missed lookin' at my ass? I guess that means your date with Rose didn't go well."

"Fuck you. I'm not lookin' at your ass, I'm lookin' to see where my present is!"

"Have you lost your damn mind? Why would I have a present for you?"

"You flew all the way to New York City and didn't buy your only brother a souvenir? A snow globe, a Statue of Liberty pen, an "I Heart NY" shirt, nothing? You could've, at least, brought Bella back with you! And, I'll have you know, my date with Rose and Carter went perfectly!" The man is actually pouting as he walks back to his desk.

I can't let him suffer for too long, so I sigh and reach into my carry-on bag, grabbing his t-shirt and Empire State Building beer mug. When I hand Emmett his gifts, his face lights up like it is Christmas morning or something. "Ha! I knew it!" He's so easy to please.

"So, tell me about your date at the zoo."

"Oh, man, E! We had the best time! I bought Carter some toys, we ate junk food, saw all the animals, and Rosie even let me hold her hand." I don't think I've ever seen my brother this happy and this is just from the first date. I really hope he doesn't get his heart broken.

"Did you do your gorilla impression?" I ask, knowing full well what his answer is going to be.

"Of course, I did! Carter loved it, too, and Rose even called me her 'Monkey Man', but you'll never guess what happened after that!"

I'm afraid to ask but, of course, my curiosity gets the best of me. "What did you do?"

"It wasn't me, Bra, it was one of those big ass chimps. Y'know, the big, mack-daddy one? The three of us were right up at the glass, just watchin' them do' their thing...layin' around, swingin' in tire swings, and pissin' all over the place. When all of the sudden, the big one comes up to us and lays on his back, pressin' his giant balls up against the glass! I'm tellin' you, his big ol' hairy nut sack was _right there_," he holds his hand up in front of his nose, "in front of our faces!"

At this point, we are both laughin' until we have tears runnin' down our cheeks.

Emmett finally calms down enough to finish his story. "Rosie and I were laughin' and takin' pictures of it, until Carter finally asked what 'those ugly things' were and why the chimp was pushin' 'em against the glass. Rose told him they were his 'testicles' and that he was coolin' them off." He sighs with a huge grin on his face. "I'm gonna have to marry that girl, Edward. She's the 'one', I'm sure of it. Speakin' of 'the one', how's Bella?"

He catches me off guard with his question. "Oh, uh, she's fine. Yeah, she's great."

"Uh huh, that's what I thought. She's your 'one'." He says so matter-of-factly. "Have you told her you love her yet? I bet you've already asked her to marry you, huh? Oh shit, man, y'all didn't elope, did you? I mean, I'd be cool with it, but Mama will kick your ass if you get married without her there!"

"For the love of bacon, Emmett, calm your shit! No, we didn't elope, I didn't ask her to marry me, and I have not told her that I love her, you coullion!"

He ignores my insult. "But, you do love her though, right?"

I take a deep breath and run my hands through my hair, pulling on the ends. "Yeah, man, of course I do. And, I'm pretty sure she loves me, too. We didn't feel the need to say it yet, though. We just enjoyed bein' together, y'know?"

"Oh, yeah, I know!" he says suggestively while waggling his eyebrows.

"Shut the fuck up, Emmett. Now, let's get to work so I can go home. I wanna go spend some time at my cabin and make sure it's ready for when Bella comes to visit again."

Two hours later, I'm walking across the yard towards my cabin. It feels so good being back home. Don't get me wrong, I loved every second I was with Bella, but there's just something about being on my land, where I grew up, that just makes me happy. The one thing that will make me complete is having Bella _here _with me.

As thoughts of Bella play through my mind, I make my way over to my hammock. I slowly sit down in it, then lay all the way back, after kicking the ground hard enough to swing me for a couple of minutes. I think I can smell Bella on the hammock from when she was here a few weeks ago. Either that or I'm so pussy-whipped, I'm starting to go insane. I'm sure it's just because I miss her and want her here with me. The next time she is here, though, we are abso-fuckin-lutely having sex on this hammock, mosquitoes be damned.

The sun is starting to set behind the trees, so I figure it's time for me to get off my ass. I want to take a look around the house and see how I can fix it up. I don't know if it's where Bella and I will end up living, _if_ we ever get married or anything, but it'd be nice to have some privacy with her whenever she visits.

It dawns on me, while I'm walking closer to the front porch, that I haven't seen or heard the dogs.

It's not like Jose or Johnny to not come runnin' up to me when I'm out here. Maybe they're just out in the woods or sleeping at Emmett's cabin. I reach the bottom step that leads up to the front porch and a chill runs up my spine. Somethin' is 'off', but I can't put my finger on it. It's quiet, too quiet, like all the bugs are gone, which is pretty much impossible during the summer in Louisiana.

Maybe I stayed in the city too long and have become paranoid. I roll my eyes at myself and take the first two steps. Looking down at the ground, I notice cigarette ashes. I don't smoke anymore and no one I know that would ever be out here smokes, so how the hell did cigarette ashes get on my property?

I start looking around the porch and I see a trail of ashes leading to the front door.

It's then that I notice my windows are open and the front door is cracked. I don't know what makes me do it, but I feel it in my gut that something isn't right so, I pull out my phone and send a text to Riley, telling him to get his ass out here as soon as possible.

* * *

**(JPOV)**

Fuck! Where is he? Where is that stupid, arrogant, mother fucker and why hasn't he been out here? This is _his_ damned house. He should be here!

I take another drag off my cigarette and scratch the skin on my arm. I itch everywhere. I know I'm filthy and I probably stink, but I swear I feel like I've got bugs crawlin' all over me. Maybe that's the detox workin' on me, not that it matters. As soon as I take care of business here, I'll be back to my old partyin' ways, livin' it up, and celebratin' bein' a free man.

Two hours in jail was enough for me to know I ain't ever goin' back there again. I've spent the majority of my life committin' crimes and not gettin' caught, thanks to my Pops, but I don't know if he can get me out of the shit storm I'm in now. He bailed me out, finally, but since I fucked up and killed that game warden, my case is out of his jurisdiction.

Man, he was so fuckin' pissed when he came to visit me in jail. Police Chief Laurent Cullen does not like to be out of control...not with his work and certainly, not with his family. His eyes were bulgin' out of their sockets and I thought that big vein in his forehead was gonna explode all over me.

He informed me that if I go to trial for this latest murder, he could't help me. What he means is that he WON'T help me. He has a reputation to protect and he's not gonna let me bring him down.

What he doesn't seem to remember is that everything I did...well, maybe not everything, but most of what I did, I did because he told me to. I was doing his dirty work, so that his record stayed clean and he could continue to be the hero of French Settlement, just like my fuckin' grandpa.

Well, guess what, Pops. I ain't takin' orders from you anymore. I ain't takin' orders from no one. I'm takin' control and runnin' this show from now on.

Fuck, it's hot in here. I don't think the air conditionin' is on and there's nothin' in the damn fridge to eat or drink. At least I have my smokes with me. But after sittin' here for the past two days, I'm startin' to run out. Maybe I should ration them a bit. If he'd just show the hell up already, I could do what I set out to do and leave this shithole.

As soon as I'm out of here, I'm hittin' the road towards Mexico and I'm never lookin' back. I've got plenty of money, so I'll be livin' like a fuckin' king. No rules and no daddy. I might even take that pretty little brunette with me.

As I'm makin' another sweep through the cabinets to make sure I didn't miss any food, I hear somethin'. I've been hearin' lots of sounds while hidin' out here, but this one makes me think that my wait is over. I just need one shot. One shot through that pretty, little head and I'm done. Gone forever. I can even make it look like a suicide, if I position his body the right way. I just have to remember to clean up any evidence that would lead to me, but that shouldn't be too hard. I am my father's son, after all. I learned from the master.

The front door creaks a bit and I turn to see my prize walk into the front room. He's finally here. I've played this scene out in my mind hundreds of times, wanting to kill this son of a bitch for so long. I can't decide if I should just shoot him now, real quick-like and be done with it, or play with him a bit, hurt him, make him suffer. It's all so overwhelming to me and I'm so wound up, I think my dick is gettin' a bit hard.

I take a step towards him, and the floor squeaks a little under my weight. His head jerks around to find me. Good. He sees me and I see the fear in his pretty, green eyes. I can't wait to make those green eyes turn black.

"Well, hello there, Edward. So nice of you to finally show up."

"James? What the hell are you doin' here? You're supposed to be turnin' yourself in at the courthouse."

I laugh at him. He thinks he's so smart, but he don't know nothin'. He ain't nothin'.

"I have been waitin' here for you, ever since my pops posted my bond yesterday. You and I have some unfinished business to take care of. Once that is done, I'll be leavin' for good."

"What business are you talkin' about? There is no business between us. You are goin' to prison for the rest of your life to finally pay for all the shit you've done. That's it."

This makes me laugh even louder. I can hear the sound of my laughter echo throughout the mostly empty house and it distracts me, but only for a second.

"See, that's where you're wrong, Cousin. I'm not ever goin' to prison. I got a plan and bein' locked up in a cage is not part of the plan."

"You've lived your whole life in a cage, James, you just don't see it. You think you rule the town and can do whatever the hell you want, but that's only because Laurent has his hooks in you so deep. You have no freedom; he controls every aspect of your life! You're just his pawn, someone to do his dirty work for him."

"That's enough! You want to see me in control? I'll show you how 'in control' I am!" I whip out my gun that's been stuck in the back of my pants and I point it at him. The look on his face, all scared and shit, is one I will remember for the rest of my life.

"James, what do you think you're doin'?"

"I'm takin' control, Eddie Boy. I'm achieving a goal, if you will. You think you're so much better than me, with your fancy house, and money, and any girl you could ever want."

"That's a bunch of bullshit, James, and you know it. You have all those things...a nice house, money, and you always have girls hangin' off your arms."

"Oh, but not _that_ one. You know the one I'm talkin' about. That cute brunette that was stayin' here. I can't have her, can I?"

"Don't talk about Bella. She's none of your business."

"I bet she's a good fuck. That's why you finally stood up to me, isn't? She's the reason you kicked me out of the party, huh? The reason you embarrassed me in front of the whole town! Well, let me tell you, I will NOT be made a fool of, you got that?" I take a few steps closer to Edward, which makes him move further into the front room and away from the door.

He holds his hands up in front of him and I see one of my favorite parts of my dream come to life. I've waited a long time to see Edward Cullen surrender to me. "James, put the gun down. You don't wanna do anything stupid. You're already in enough trouble. Why add to it?"

"I'm not worried about bein' in trouble, 'cause once I leave the country, it won't matter anyway. So, where is your little girlfriend, anyway? Have you already used her up and thrown her away? She's so damn fine, I'd even take your sloppy seconds and have a go with her. Maybe she'd like to go to Mexico with me? Hmmm, I can picture her now...wearin' a tiny bikini, down on her knees, suckin' my dick on the beach..."

Fuck! I was too busy fantasizing to see Edward lunge forward and punch me. I touch my face, then look down at my hand and see it's covered in blood.

The motherfucker just broke my nose and now he's gonna die.

I scream out in a rage, feeling my blood boiling under my skin. I raise my gun to him again, inches from his head, with my thumb on the hammer.

"Police! Drop the gun now, James!" The front door flies open and I see Riley pointing his gun at me, aimed to kill. I hope my sister isn't too sad when she hears I killed him, too.

I slowly shake my head at him. "Riley, Riley, Riley. You should not be here." I say calmly. "This does not concern you. Why don't you just tuck tail and run, while I'm still feelin' nice?"

"I am not leavin' until you put the gun down, James. When I do leave, I'm takin' you with me, straight to the courthouse, so you can be booked and taken to jail until your trial."

"Well, that shit ain't happenin'. Not today, not ever. So, I'm gonna give you one more chance to get the hell out of here. Otherwise, I'm gonna blow your mother fuckin' brains all over the wall behind you."

"What is goin' on in here?" I look up at the latest voice to enter this discussion, and I see the last person I want to be here.

"Pops, what brings you out to the Cullen Plantation? You slummin' it?" I try to gauge his mood. He can either help me or hurt me, and although I'm tired of bein' his puppet, I feel like this situation is gettin' out of control and I should probably accept his help.

"No, James, I followed Officer Biers. I had a hunch you'd be out here causin' trouble, as usual. You're so predictable. I bet you think you're gonna run off to Mexico when this is all over, don't ya?" He sounds so smug. "Is that what your plan is? Kill everyone in the room and then leave the country?" He shakes his head and looks at me with pity in his eyes. Pity and disgust. I fuckin' hate him. "You're such a screw-up, James. You can't do anything right, which is why I'm gonna have to take you in myself."

"NO!" I yell at him. I've never raised my voice at my father before. I can tell he doesn't like it, but I don't care anymore. I'll kill him, too, if need be. "I will not go to prison for things you made me do! I ain't your puppet anymore! You can go to hell!"

"James, listen to your dad. You've put yourself in a bad situation and you're only way out is to surrender." I look in the direction of the voice that just spoke, and for a split second, I'm surprised to see Edward standing there. During all the commotion, I had almost forgotten he was here.

I look at him, while still pointing the gun at his face, "You don't get to pretend to care this time, Edward, so keep out of this!"

"He's right, James. The only other way for this to end is in bloodshed and no one wants to die today." I look over at Riley, as he continues. "You said that you committed your crimes because your dad told you to. Why not use your information against him? Have charges brought up on _him_, send _him_ to prison instead? I know the whole town will be very interested to hear what their Chief of Police has really been up to all these years!"

"Shut the fuck up, Riley! I'll kill you myself and make it look like an accident!" I look at my dad and his face is red with anger. The vein bulging in his head again.

I need to calm the fuck down. Even I can admit this is fucked up right now. There are too many people in here. This was not how I had planned this to go down. Who do I kill first? Edward? He was my main goal when this all started, but now I really want to kill Riley just to get him to shut up. Should I kill my pops while I'm at it, or will he agree to help me if I let him live?

Fuuuucck! I wipe the sweat that is pouring down my face and burning my eyes. The only way for me to survive is to kill them all, I can see that now. I just need to get my shit together and pull the damn trigger! But, I still don't know who to shoot first. I move my gun from Edward's face and point it at Riley. After a few seconds, I point it at my dad, and then back at Edward. I keep doing this to confuse them, but I'm not confused anymore. I know who will be the first to go down.

I tease each of them a few more times, before I count down in my head...

3

2

1

Bang.

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**A/Ns:**

**Jiff**: *crickets chirping* Hmmmm...yeah, so, how's everybody liking ToothpickRob this week? *twiddles thumbs* Anyone? Bueller?

**Jenny Kate:** *side eyes Jiff* It feels a little cold in here. Where'd everybody go? *TOOOOOTHPICK* -always appropriate and acceptable in every situation.

**Jiff**: Ok, on to some good news...thanks to our awesomely amazing readers, Southern Comfort made it into The Lemonade Stand's top 5 Fics of the Week! We are still shocked by that but we're so excited that our story is loved by so many people! I just hope you TRUST us and STICK with us and, please, don't HATE us!

**Jenny Kate: ** Yes, there is a method to our madness. *mwahahahaha* ;) Seriously, thank you all so much for the voting and support this week! You have totally made our week...heck, our whole freakin' month! We never expected our little story to be recognized in such an awesome way. It's too much to even wrap our brains around right now! We text each other about 10 times a day with "we just got another review" or "can you believe the number of hits today" or "so-and-so-fic-superstar just said they like our story!" We've been in a constant state of "OMG" for the past week. Thank you so much! We love you guys hard! *MWAH*

**Jiff**: This chapter was, again, beta'd by my hubby, who was also pissed when he got to the end! ;-)

**Jenny Kate: **You know we never make you wait long for updates, but due to the ban that we may or may not be participating in, the next SoCo update will be late Tuesday night...that's five days. Don't flounce us! We promise to make it up to you.

*We'll be back with our Recs of the Week on Tuesday*

**We'll also be linking you all to our new blog designed by the one and only RoseArcadia**

Y'all come back now, y'hear. Please.


	18. Regulate

**Disclaimer: We do not own Twilight or the characters. We do own Cajunward…and hopefully he's ok! *OHpleaseOHpleaseOHplease* Let's not prolong the misery…onto the story!**

* * *

**(EPOV)**

My ears are ringing and I can't focus. What the hell just happened? Looking over to my right, I see a pair of black boots. I pick my head up off the floor and see that there is a pair of black pants and a blue shirt attached to those black boots. Riley.

"Riley." My lungs feel tight and my throat is dry. "Riley!" He's not moving and I'm kinda scared to look.

I remember gunshots being fired, but that's about it. The last thing I clearly recall is staring down the barrel of James' gun that he had pointed at my fucking head. That crazy bastard is completely off his rocker.

I reach over as far as I can and shake Riley's boot. He moves a little and I'm relieved. I raise up and lean over on my elbow, so I can see him. "Riley, are you ok? Can you hear me?" There is blood on his right shoulder, but it doesn't look too bad.

My head is pounding. I reach up to massage the pain away, and I feel wetness on the side of my head, just above my ear. The blood on my hand is pretty substantial, but head wounds always bleed freely, so I don't panic too much.

Riley starts to try to say something, and his voice sounds a little raspy. "Edward..."

"I'm right here, man. You ok?"

"I think so," he manages to get out. "My fuckin' shoulder feels like it's on fire."

"What the hell happened?" I ask.

"All I remember..." he pauses to take a breath, "is that James started aimin' his gun at everyone's head and I was just...shit!"

"Dude, don't talk, ok. We'll figure all this out. Just lay still. I'm gonna call my dad."

I roll further onto my side to pull my cell phone out of my back pocket. When I do, I see James lying down toward my feet. I hold my breath and concentrate on his chest to see if he's breathing. I can't tell. His gun is lying about ten feet away, so I'm not worried about him using it on me anymore. I make it up on my knees and I crawl over to him. That's when I notice the gunshot wound right at his temple. No need to check for a pulse.

To keep myself from puking, I sit back on my knees and survey the rest of the house, looking for Laurent. He's behind me, closest to the door. He is slumped against the wall, and from the splatter of blood behind him, I'm going to assume that he is dead too.

As I'm sitting there, trying to wrap my mind around what has happened; I begin to feel a sharp pain in my right thigh. I look down to see blood staining my jeans and a small hole going right into the top of my leg. Son of a bitch. I sit back down, up against the coffee table for a little support, and put my injured leg out in front of me. It doesn't hurt as bad when I sit like that.

Riley coughs from where he's laying on the floor. I remember what I need to do.

My fingers are shaky as I scroll through my phone and find my dad's number. He was one of the last people I talked to, so it's easy to find. I push send.

"Edward, what's up?"

"Dad, there's been some trouble out at my cabin. Are you at home?"

"What's wrong?"

I can hear the slight panic in my dad's voice. I try to stay as calm as I can, because I don't want to worry him any more than I have to. "Uh, I think everything is fine, but I really need you to come out here. Are you home?"

"I'm not home yet. I'm about fifteen minutes away. Just tell me what the hell is going on, Edward!"

"Dad, its fine. Can you call Officer Meyer and have him come out to the cottage?"

"Does this have to do with James? Is James out there?"

"Yeah, Dad. He's out here. Now, I need you to call Officer Meyer and tell him to get out here as soon as possible...and he should probably bring backup."

"Edward, are you ok? You don't sound right. Don't piss down my leg and tell me it's rainin', Son. Just tell me what the hell is goin' on!"

"I'll tell you everything when you get here, just hurry." I don't give him a chance to grill me for anymore answers. I end the call and immediately dial 911.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"There's been a shooting and we need an ambulance, now!"

"How many are injured?"

"I don't know. Just get a fuckin' ambulance out here." All these damn questions are getting on my last nerve. I feel my patience slipping, as I rattle off my address and details about how to get here. The operator tries to ask me more questions and tells me she needs to keep me on the line until someone shows up, but I don't listen to her. I end the call.

I should have called them first, but I didn't want any of Laurent's cronies making it out here before Officer Meyer could get here. In a small town like French Settlement, the police know everything. It's not like they got anything better to do, so they sit around and listen to the scanner, just waiting for some excitement.

I'm sure they'll all be pulling in here shortly. I bet they were in their cruisers before they even heard all the details. I don't really know what to expect from them when they get here. So, I'm hoping Officer Meyer and the other agents show up before they do.

"Riley. How ya doin', Buddy? Are you hangin' in there? Don't die on me, ok?"

He lets out a small chuckle, enough to let me know he's still conscious and breathing.

I'm only half teasing. I don't know how serious his injuries are and I'm no damn doctor, so I haven't even looked under his shirt at the bullet wound.

"Edward!" I hear my dad calling my name from the front porch.

"In here!"

"Holy Mary Mother of God." I look up to see my dad standing in the doorway, his eyes focused on James' body laying a few feet away from where I'm sitting. He looks down toward his feet and notices Laurent slumped against the wall beside him. Reaching down, he puts two fingers at the pulse point on his neck. He kneels down beside him and begins silently reciting the rosary, "Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven..."

In that moment, I realize that my dad is mourning the loss of his brother. He's probably not thinking about all of the bad things he's done or the horrible person he's become, he's just thinking about the fact that he's blood. It's sad to see someone's life wasted like that. Their lives took such different paths. I forget that they were cut from the same cloth.

Before my dad stands up, he bends over and kisses the top of Laurent's head, as he brushes a hand over his eyes, forcing them closed one last time.

"I'm so sorry, Dad."

"There was no other way, Edward. Laurent knew what he was getting himself into. He knew that the path he was on would one day lead to his demise. There's no need to be sorry. Are you ok? Have you called for an ambulance?" He asks as he pulls his phone out of his pocket, dialing a number.

"Esme, everything is fine. Please don't ask me a bunch of questions right now. I just wanted to call and let you know that Edward is ok. Stay at the house and when Emmett gets home, tell him to call me before he comes down here." He pauses for a brief second. "I love you too."

"Your mother called right after I talked to you. She knew something was wrong. I couldn't have her worrying herself sick, or heaven forbid coming down here and seeing all of this," he says looking around the room. He kneels down beside Riley and starts to assess the damage. "Riley, it's Carlisle. I want you to stay awake, OK?"

"Yes, sir," Riley replies, weakly.

"Edward, were you just shot in the leg?" He asks, looking at my leg. "Do you have any other wounds that you know of?"

"Just a nasty gash above my ear." I reach up and touch the tender spot. The bleeding seems to have slowed down. I haven't felt it run down my neck in a while.

"Officer Meyer and his team should be here shortly. I thought they might beat me here. He said that he had a hunch James was up to something, but they hadn't been able to track him down. I guess we all know why now."

"James said that he had been camped out here since he was bailed out the other day."

My dad shakes his head in disbelief. "I knew that kid was crazy, but I never dreamed he would take things this far."

"I'm pretty sure he would have been happy to just kill me and skip the country, but I sent Riley a text when I got out here. Things just didn't feel right."

"Well, I'm glad you did. I would hate to think what would have happened if you hadn't. Is that how Laurent ended up out here?"

"Yeah, he followed Riley." I start to think about what could have happened if Riley hadn't shown up too. The thought sickens me. I don't know if it's the thought of being dead or the thought of what James might have done to Bella, if he were the one alive right now and I was the one lying there in a pool of my own blood. I'm sure he was just saying those things to get under my skin, but something tells me there was some validity there. He was far enough gone that he would have done anything to make me suffer, even when I was six feet under.

"Edward. I asked you a question. You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, I was just thinkin' bout somethin'."

"I can't imagine what's goin' through your mind right now. I'm really sorry all this had to go down the way it did." He pulls me into a side hug, avoiding my leg and the blood all over my shirt. "I'm just so thankful you're ok. Your mama is gonna throw a fit when she sees you. Heaven help us."

* * *

**(BPOV)**

_Edward is running through the woods. The thick grass under his feet trips him, and he falls to the ground. Scrambling to get back up, he turns around to see that the mountain lion is gaining on him. He takes off running again, with pure abandonment, as he tries to escape the path of the lion. His breaths are coming out in short quick pants. I want to scream at him and tell him to keep running. "Edward!" Suddenly, the lion leaps for him and finds purchase with his claws digging into Edward's back. "NO!" Edward falls face first on the forest floor, with the lion standing above him. He tries to fight it off. He punches it square in the nose, but it doesn't faze the powerful animal. In retaliation, the lion goes in for the kill, right at Edward's throat..."NOOOOOO! Stop!"_

I wake up in a cold sweat. The same way I've woken up for the past three nights.

I realize my phone is ringing. That must have been what woke me up.

I look at my phone and answer it. "Hey, Al. What's wrong?" There are only two reasons Alice would call me in the middle of the night. She's either drunk or there is an emergency...or she saw Snoop Dogg. So, three reasons.

"I'm sorry to wake you up, but I decided that you would be more pissed at me if I waited until in the morning."

"It's ok," I say, the sleep thick in my voice. "I was having a bad dream anyway, so you did me a favor. What's wrong? You don't sound drunk, so there must be an emergency."

"They thought it would be better if I called you, because I would know what to say. But you know how I hate being the bearer of any sort of bad news."

"Just spit it out. We've talked about this before, Alice. You've just gotta rip the band aid off." I lie back down in bed and rest my arm across my forehead, holding the phone between the pillow and my ear. If she doesn't hurry, I might fall back asleep. "Who's 'they'?"

"The Cullens."

I sit straight up in bed and my heart starts racing a million miles a minute. "Alice, you're really starting to freak me out. Just tell me whatever the hell it is you called to tell me!" I'm getting frustrated with her, but I know that it's more about the impending bad news than it is her. I just don't like the bad feeling that has come over me all of a sudden.

"There was an incident a little while ago at the plantation."

"Was Edward there? Oh, my god. Is he OK?"

"Bella, you're going to have to just let me finish and ask questions when I'm done." Alice lets out a huge sigh over the phone and her voice sounds a little shaky. "I'm sorry, but all of this drama is putting me on edge."

"Its fine, Alice. Just go on. What happened at the plantation?" I encourage her to continue and try to keep my panic at bay. Alice doesn't handle stressful situations very well.

"Well, when Edward got home earlier today, he went out to the cottage. No one really knows the exact details just yet. Anyway, apparently, when he got there James was there, too."

I drop the phone. One hand goes to my mouth and one hand to my heart. I feel like it's about to pound right out of my chest. I realize that Alice is still talking on the phone that is sitting in my lap. Putting it back to my ear, all I hear her say is "gunshots..."

"Back the fuck up, Alice. Go back to the part where Edward went to the cottage and James was there."

"Isabella Marie Swan! Are you not listening to a damn thing I'm saying? This is hard enough to say without having to repeat myself."

"I'm sorry," I say in a lower voice. "I dropped the phone."

"James was at the cottage waiting on Edward to get home. Carlisle said that he thinks he had been there since his bail was posted. Edward thought something looked fishy when he walked up to the cottage and decided to text Riley and tell him to come out to the cottage. I guess when Edward went in; James pulled a gun on him. He was crazy. Carlisle said that Edward couldn't tell him everything that he had said. After Riley showed up, Laurent came. He saw Riley leave the station and decided to follow him."

"Then what happened?" The tears are already streaming down my face and I don't even try to cover up the emotion in my voice.

"James had his gun pointed at...well; he was pointing it at Edward's head. Riley was trying to decide if he should take out James or Laurent. Then, he said that James turned the gun toward Laurent and shot him. So, Riley shot James, but before he got his shot off, James shot Riley in the shoulder."

"What about Edward, Alice? You haven't said anything about Edward!" I hear the panic and hysteria in my voice.

"Riley feels really bad about this, but he accidentally shot Edward in the leg when he was firing at James. It really wasn't Riley's fault. There was so much commotion and too many things happening at one time."

I sniffle into the phone, "So, Edward is OK...I mean, he's going to be OK?"

"Yeah, he's going to be fine. He has a nasty flesh wound on his leg and a gash on his head from hitting the coffee table, but other than that he's fine."

"I need to see him. I'm coming to Baton Rouge." I start getting out of bed and frantically throwing things around my apartment.

"Bella, calm down. It's in the middle of the night. You can fly out tomorrow, after you talk to Edward, if you still feel like you need to come."

"OF COURSE, I need to come, Alice! Edward is hurt! He needs me!"

"I know."

"I need him. I need to hold him in my arms and know that he's ok."

The phone goes quiet. Alice and I sit there on opposite ends of the phone, just breathing. "I know. Listen, whenever you get to Baton Rouge, I'll be there to pick you up. Just call me and let me know what time your flight gets in. I love you, B. Try not to worry, ok?"

I sigh into the phone, "Easier said than done. I'll call you when I know what time I'll be there. Love you."

I hang up and get on my laptop, booking the first flight from New York to Baton Rouge. It leaves at 5:00am, arriving in Baton Rouge at 10:22am. I look at my watch and see that it's just after midnight.

What the hell am I supposed to do for the next four hours? I text Alice and let her know my flight number and arrival time. I know I told her I would call her back, but I just don't feel like talking to her right now.

I think about calling Edward, but I don't want to wake him if he's sleeping. He may not even have his phone on him. I don't even know if he's in the hospital. I should have asked Alice.

I just sit there and watch the minutes tick away on my digital clock by the bed. The smart thing to do would be to get a few more hours of sleep, but my mind won't let me. Besides, I don't want to have another nightmare involving Edward. With what Alice just told me, that would definitely happen.

I sit there for over two hours, running every detail that Alice gave me over and over in my mind. The tears constantly stream down my face. I couldn't stop them even if I wanted to. My emotions range from utter and complete sadness to rage and fury. If James weren't already dead, I would kill him. I hate holding that kind of hate inside. I know I need to let that go, but I'm not ready to just yet. Maybe once I see Edward with my own eyes, and know that he's going to be ok, maybe then I can forgive James, but not yet.

When I look at the clock again, I realize that my plane will leave in less than two hours, so I get up and throw a bag together. I make everything fit into a carry-on, so that I won't have to check luggage.

I walk into the bathroom and throw my hair into a ponytail and try to wash the tear stains off my cheeks, but it's no use. I glance at myself in the mirror and I look like death. There are purple circles under my eyes from lack of sleep. My eyes are bloodshot from crying. My nose is red and my face is splotchy. I'll be lucky if I don't get stripped searched at the airport. They assume people that look like me are unstable. I'm probably not far from that assumption.

The flight is only half full, so I get my pick of seats and fortunately don't have to sit by the crazy lady who was going on and on about her 'amazing' trip to New York, while we were sitting in the terminal. Who the hell chooses to fly at 5:00 in the fucking morning?

It's the longest five hour flight I have ever been on in my life. Every time I look at my watch, the minute hand appears to be stuck. I even bang it around a little bit to make sure it's still working.

We land about fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. I grab my bag before anyone else can get out of their seat and I head for the exit. The bright Louisiana sun is coming through the large windows of the airport corridor and I feel myself relax a little bit. I'm closer to Edward now.

I start heading out the doors toward the curb to wait for Alice, when I catch a glimpse of her standing over by a bench, head down, typing away on her phone. "Alice. What the hell are doing just standing out here by the curb?"

"Hey, B." She pulls me into a hug and I hold on tight for a minute, because I need it. Alice pulls back and looks at me. "Man, you look like shit."

"Thanks."

"I flew in this morning, so we've got a rental car," she says as she holds up some keys.

As we're walking to the car, Alice informs me that Edward is still in the hospital in Baton Rouge, so we're going to drive over there. I'm relieved, not because he's in the hospital, but because I'll be able to see him sooner than if we had to drive to French Settlement. That might be twisted thinking, but I can't be held responsible for my level of sanity at the moment.

'I know this is a messed up thing to say, due to the circumstances, but I'm really glad you had to fly back to Louisiana. It's good to see you, even though you look like shit."

"Damn, Alice. You really know how to make a girl feel good. You've told me I look like shit twice now in the five minutes we've been together. I get it. I feel like shit too, if that makes it any better."

"I'm sorry. I'm just not used to you looking like this. I'm worried about you. Have you not been sleeping well?"

"No. I've slept horribly the past few nights. I keep having the worst nightmare about Edward. Then, last night after you called, I couldn't go back to sleep. So, I've been awake since then."

"And you've been crying."

"Yeah, and I've been crying. I guess with the lack of sleep my emotions are all over the place. I'll feel better when I can see Edward with my own eyes...and touch him...and know for myself that he's going to be ok."

Alice pats my knee. "You love him, don't you, B? I can see it in your eyes...your puffy, bloodshot eyes. You should keep your sunglasses on." She adjusts the rearview mirror, looking at herself in the process. "Damn, I'm so hot I make the devil sweat," she says, giving me a wink as she turns back to the road.

I laugh a little at her last statement. She always knows how to lighten my mood. "Yeah, Alice. I love him. When I think about what could have happened to him...I can't stand thinking that he could have died without me telling him that. I think he knows that I do, but I haven't said it. I've got to tell him."

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sure he knows."

I lean my head against the back of my seat and slide my sunglasses down over my eyes. The remainder of the ride to the hospital is quiet. We don't even have the radio on.

As Alice and I walk into the hospital, I feel like running down the halls calling for Edward until he answers me. Somehow I manage to act like a normal human being, and walk up to the nurse's desk and ask for his room. She starts to tell me that only family is allowed. I feel my composure slipping as I'm glaring at her across the desk.

"Bella, Darlin'? Is that you?" An angel appears around the corner, in the form of Esme. I feel like I haven't seen her in forever, but really it's only been a couple of weeks. She pulls me into a tight, bone-crushing hug and I squeeze back with as much force. "It's so good to see you, but what the hell are you doin' here? Well, I know _what _you're doin' here, but..."

I give a small laugh. "Alice called me last night after she talked to Jasper. I would have been here sooner, but the earliest flight I could get was at 5:00 this morning."

"I bet you'd like to see Edward." She looks at me with her warm eyes and I almost feel like crying all over again.

"I'd really like that, but the nurse said that only family..." I start to say, but she cuts me off.

"You are family. Besides, I'm his mama and if I say you can see him, then you can see him."

As we walk down the hall, it's like my body senses that it's closer to him. My heartbeat is hammering in my chest and I can feel my palms getting sweaty. I can't believe I said good-bye to him yesterday and now, here I am, standing outside his hospital room. I know that he will be fine; he IS fine, but I don't know if I will be able to handle seeing him lying in a hospital bed, hurt.

Esme notices my reluctance to open his door and she places her hand on my shoulder. "He's gonna be just fine, Honey. He doesn't know you are here, of course, but I know he'll be so happy to see you." She smiles reassuringly and slowly opens the door. "I'll be in the cafeteria. Go to him, Bella. He needs you."

She gives me a little nudge and I slowly walk into the room, letting the door shut behind me. I can hear his deep breaths, letting me know he is sleeping. I am instantly relieved to be in the same room as he is again. The closeness puts me at ease.

He's lying on his back, and his chest is rising and falling slowly. The sun peeks through the window of the room and illuminates his face, his perfect face. Of course, it isn't flawless, but it's perfect to me. There is a bandage on the right side of his head, right above his ear. I remember Alice saying something about him hitting his head on a coffee table or something.

I step closer to the bed, almost within touching distance.

He's dressed in a hospital gown and I chuckle a little to myself, quietly, of course. I know Edward and he will not like that when he wakes up. I wouldn't mind watching him walk to the bathroom a few times though.

I reach out and gently stroke his hair. He doesn't move, just continues to sleep soundly. I'd like to just watch him sleep, but I need to touch him. I need to know that he's ok. I mean, I know that he is. I see him with my own eyes. There are no wires hooked up, not even an IV. It's apparent that he's merely here for observation. But I still feel the need to do my own evaluation.

I run my finger down his cheek and over the two-day stubble. He probably hasn't shaved since my mom's visit. It's hard to believe that was just two days ago, two sleeps. Only one sleep without Edward, and look at me. I'm already back here in Louisiana. I can't stay away from him. There's just no sense in even trying to pretend that I'll be able to live in New York and him in Louisiana. I'll want to hop on a plane every other day. Rational or irrational, it's the truth.

I squeeze his hand, and he gently squeezes back. He starts to move a little and says something in his sleep. I can't make it out, but I'm mesmerized by the look of contentment on his face. I soothe the side of his hand with my thumb, hoping to lull him back to sleep.

"I need her," he says. I can't tell if he's asleep or coming to. I also don't know if who he's talking about...the nurse, his mom.

"Who, Edward? Who do you need? I'll get you whatever you need." I tell him, with my face down low by his, speaking to him softly.

His eyes flutter open and he tries to adjust to the brightness of the room. I can tell that he's trying to focus on my face, so I move back a little bit. He squeezes my hand tightly.

"Bella?"

"Yes, it's me."

"Damn, these are good drugs." He tries to sit up a little in his bed and winces at some pain. I can't stand to see that look on his beautiful face.

"You said you needed someone. Can I call the nurse? Can I get you anything?"

His eyes fully open and his greens make full contact. They about knock me over. I'm not sure how someone can be lying in a hospital bed, wounded, drugged, and in a hospital gown, and still be so gorgeous.

"You. I just need you." He reaches up toward my face and I close the distance, leaning over the railing of his hospital bed. He grasps my face with both hands and pulls me, pressing his lips to mine. It's not the hard passionate kisses we've shared over the past couple of weeks. This one is slow and needing. Edward whimpers as he pulls back just a little, touching his forehead to mine, keeping my face in his grasp. "What are you doing here, beautiful?"

"Alice called me late last night and I came as soon as I could get a flight."

"You didn't have to do that. I'm sorry I didn't call you myself."

"Don't be silly. You've been a little tied up."

"I know, but I wanted to call you. I needed to tell you something. Something that I couldn't have said over the phone anyway, so I'm glad you're here. I should have told you before I left New York, but it didn't seem like the right time."

I lower the rail on his bed and sit down beside him. He's kind of scaring me a little. I'm not sure where he's going with this. Maybe his meds are making him talk crazy.

"Edward..."

He puts a finger up to my lips to quiet me.

"When I was standing in front of James with a gun to my head, do you want to know what I was thinking about?"

I feel sick. I might be sick. I clutch my stomach and lower my head, letting my hair fall over my face. "I can't imagine, Edward. I don't want to. Thinking about you in a situation like that makes me physically ill."

He brushes my hair back, tucking it behind my ear. "You."

Looking up, I see that his eyes are glistened over, mimicking my unshed tears. I close my eyes and one of mine escapes, rolling down my cheek. Edward pulls me down to him, crushing me to his chest.

"Don't cry."

"Why were you thinking of me?"

"I was thinking that there I was, facing death, and I hadn't told you that I love you."

Loves me. Did he just say that he loves me? I sit up and stare into his eyes, not trying to hide the tears any longer.

"I should have told you before I left New York. We should never take our days for granted. No one is ever guaranteed tomorrow. I know we've only known each other for less than a month, but I love you, Bella Swan. I've known since the day I watched you sleeping in my hammock. It just took me the last three weeks to make sure it wasn't just lust." He laughs quietly.

I feel my breath leave me and I choke out a sob that's been stuck in my throat. Pulling Edward's face closer to mine, I begin to kiss him...all over. I kiss his forehead and then his eyes, feeling the moisture from a few tears that have fallen down his cheek. I kiss his nose and then his jaw. Finally, I press my lips to his; lick his bottom lip, tasting him. He opens his mouth, allowing me to deepen the kiss and I feel alive.

I lean back, looking into his green eyes, those same ones that I now know captivated me in my sleep before I even met him, and I tell him what I've known since the morning I walked downstairs and found him sleeping at the kitchen counter. Love. "I love you, Edward Fucking Cullen."

* * *

**A/Ns:**

**Jenny Kate:** Well, Jiff, the good news is that the boycott is over and we didn't leave our readers hanging off the edge of a proverbial cliff this chapter.

"Jiff…Jiff…JIFF!"

**Fake Jiff ('cause real Jiff is on a sunny beach in Florida): **You're right, JK…you're always right.

**Jenny Kate: **I knew you'd say that. Is there anything else you'd like to get off your chest?

**Fake Jiff ('cause real Jiff is on a sunny beach in Florida): **I take back all that stuff I said about you talking too much…and that you're like "herding cats". Oh, and you're really funny.

**Jenny Kate: ***touches chest in a gesture of being flattered* Well, aren't you sweet.

*taps fingers*

**Jenny Kate: **Sooooooo, what's next? *whispers* Fake Jiff is not nearly as fun as real Jiff.

**Fake Jiff ('cause real Jiff is on a sunny beach in Florida): **Hey! I heard that. Not very nice, JK…and after those nice things I said about you.

**Jenny Kate: **I'm sorry. Let's just say a HUGE thank you to our readers! We're so thankful for all of you! Thanks for reading, reviewing, hanging out with us on Twitter, finding us on Facebook, and rec'ing us to your friends! It all means so much to us…and by us, I mean me, Jiff, and Fake Jiff, of course.

The real Jiff told me to tell you guys that she is so sorry she can't reply to reviews this week! She doesn't have WiFi in Florida! Boo. Good news is that she'll be in Louisiana (verrah close to Cajunward) next week and she'll have access to WiFi! So, come on Friday!

**We'd also like you to come find us on our new blog – jiffykate dot blogspot dot com (perhaps you can make that out...FFN keeps removing every other thing I've tried to put in here...making it so damn difficult to get our blog name out there! LOL)**

We're posting all of the chapters there as a way to back up our story; but we also have a list of fic recs, pictures, videos, and recipes! Speaking of recipes, Jiff and I (the real one, not the fake one) are going to be videoing ourselves cooking up some SoCo recipes! We'd love for you to submit any recipes that you have that use Southern Comfort **in the recipe**! We'll be sure to give you a shout-out on the video and it will be up on our blog! We'll do a taste-test and the whole-nine-yards! It'll be fun, so be sure to play along!


	19. Lose Yourself

**Disclaimer: **We do not own Twilight and we mean no disrespect to Mrs. Meyer. Our mamas taught us better than that. We just enjoy playin' with her characters. Let's go check on Cajunward. I wonder if he wants to play doctor...

* * *

**(EPOV)**

Love? Did I hear Bella right? Did she really say she loves me? Maybe these pain meds are fucking with my brain.

I look deep into her chocolate browns and I see it. Love. Happiness. My future. Right there in front of me. How in the hell did I get so damn lucky?

I move some of her hair away from her face. "Hey, Chuck? Wanna play 'Doctor'" I waggle my eyebrows to let her know I'm kidding, but I'll totally do it if she's game.

She laughs my favorite laugh of hers, throwing her head back. I can't help but laugh with her.

"Considering your mom is just downstairs in the cafeteria, I'll pass for now. But you should definitely keep your gown for future play times."

Yep, my girl can sass back with the best of 'em.

"Honey, I'll wear this gown again for you, as long as you promise not to take my temperature any other way than by using an oral thermometer..." The door opens and I see my mom peeking her head in the room. Her face lights up when she notices Bella in my arms.

"Edward, I see you have a visitor. I'm assuming you're okay with Bella being here," she says, winking at me.

"Yeah, Ma, we're all good." I kiss Bella on the top of her head before she sits up and turns to face my mom.

"Esme, what has the doctor said about Edward's prognosis? Will he need surgery? When can he go home?" I love that Bella is so concerned about me. I am also looking forward to Bella nursin' me back to health, in the bedroom and out. I can't really think about that now. Having a woody in this damn gown, while my mom is in here, would not be good.

"Bella, sweetheart, our boy's gonna be just fine. He's already had surgery to take the bullet out of his leg and the gash above his ear is all sewn up. He'll need to take it easy for a while and go to physical therapy for a few weeks, but I'm sure he'll be as good as new very soon. As far as when he can go home, we'll have to wait and see what the doctor says. He should be here shortly."

I'm relieved to hear that. I want out of this hospital as soon as possible, but I wonder how long Bella will be down here. "When do you have to go back, Bella?"

She grabs my hand and holds it tightly. "I can stay for as long as you want me to...or need me to."

"I think you know how long that is."

"Well, I'll have to go back at some point to tie up some loose ends, but if you really want me to stay, I'll stay."

Hell yeah. I'm just about to show her how much I want her to stay when I hear a sniffling sound reminding me that someone else is in my room. "Mom, are you crying again?"

My mom quickly wipes her eyes. "No!" she lies. "Damn you for makin' me cry more this week than I did all of last year! You're turnin' me into a sap!"

"Honey, you've always been a sap. You just don't want anyone else to know about it," my dad says as he and my doctor walk into the room. Dad walks up to her and kisses her gently on the lips. They've never shied away from being affectionate in public and seeing them this way makes me happy, and just a little bit nauseated.

"Shut up, Carlisle!" she pretends to scold him.

"So, Doc, when can I get the hell out of here?" I ask. I catch my mom giving me a death-glare, so I amend, "no offense, of course."

Dr. Marcus laughs. "Well, Edward, it looks like you have a lot of people to help you around, so I see no reason to keep you here any longer." I let out a "Yes!" and try to sit up, before I hear, "As long as you follow the rules I'm going to give you." I slump back down in the bed. Rules. I don't like the sound of that.

"What kind of rules do you have for me? Ice cream all day and sponge baths by Bella?" That remark gets me a poke in the ribs, of course. Bella's cheeks turn a lovely shade of pink.

Dr. Marcus clears his throat. "Well, if this young lady is the 'Bella' you are referring to, and if she is willing to take on that responsibility, I am fine with that rule until your leg gets stronger and you can shower alone. Ice cream is fine, but I recommend you eat it sparingly."

I don't like the sound of that at all. I get my sweet tooth from my dad and ice cream is my all-time favorite snack.

"You'll also need to go to physical therapy twice a week for a month to work on strengthening your leg. No nerves were damaged, but since you'll be off of your feet a lot, I don't want your muscles to get atrophied. Lastly, in order to help get yourself around, I want you to walk with this."

I look at the wooden stick in his hand and immediately start shaking my head "no". I expected to go home with crutches, but a cane? No way. I don't want to look like an old man. That is just too damn embarrassing.

"Doc, can't I just use crutches? We still have Emmett's crutches from that time he fell off the roof lookin' for Santa's sleigh, and that was just a few years ago, so I'm sure they'd fit me."

"I'm sorry, Edward. A cane is the best choice for your type of wound, and if all goes well, you'll only need it for a few weeks. Just long enough for you to be able to put your full weight on it."

I huff, not really wanting to agree, but I do want to recover quickly. I have plans for Bella and I, and I'm gonna need both of my legs to be strong enough to do most of them. I look at her to see if she has an opinion.

"What do you think, Chuck?"

She looks up at me and she's biting her fucking lip. What the hell?

"Edward, if the doctor says it's the best option for you, you really should do it. Besides," she whispers, "I think it's kind of sexy." She looks down and blushes again. At this very moment I don't care if the doctor wants me to put on a top hat and dance to "Puttin' on the Ritz" with the damn cane, I'll do it. Whipped and proud, that's me.

A few hours later, we're pulling into my parent's garage, and I get a few chill bumps on my arms. It's great being home, but I can't help but think about what happened out at my cottage the other day. I need to talk to my dad about tearing down my place and just building something new. I don't want any reminders from that day in my life, other than the scar on my leg, and I don't want Bella to live somewhere that is tainted by James in any way.

The more I think about it, the more I love the idea of building a new house for Bella. I wonder if I can keep it a surprise for her. Alice told me that Bella's birthday is in a few months...maybe she'd like a new house as a present. I really hope she is able to be here permanently by that time.

Getting used to this cane is going to be a pain in the ass, but if it will help me get better, than I'll do it. And I'll try not to complain too much while I'm at it. I don't want to act like a big baby with Bella here.

Until my leg is stronger, I'll be staying in a guest room downstairs. I don't even want to think about walking up the stairs any time soon and I am grateful my parents have the extra space to accommodate me.

As soon as I enter my new room, I ease down on the bed with a huff.

"Why, Mr. Cullen, are you tired already?" Bella asks with an eyebrow raised.

"Well, that depends, Nurse Swan. Were you plannin' on joinin' me here on this big ol' bed any time soon?" I lay back on the pillows and pat the spot next to me as an invitation.

She puts her bags down and slowly walks over to the side of the bed I am laying on. "What, exactly, did you have in mind?" She looks at my coyly. "Do you need a nap or would you like something...else?"

"I am all for whatever gets you in this bed with me. I am always ready for 'somethin'...else', but I'm cool with nappin', too. I just want to be with you." I mean every word of what I just said. Bella constantly turns me on, but I am perfectly happy to just have her in my arms.

"I can think of something that might make you relax," she says as she gently climbs up on the bed, giving me a wink. She tugs at the waist of my sweatpants and starts to pull them down.

I think I'm gonna like her 'something else'. My cock does too. It immediately stands at attention.

"Well, Mr. Cullen, it's nice to see that everything else is working properly."

My pulse speeds up as her hands touch the bare skin above the waistband of my boxers. She leaves a trail of fire as she runs her finger down the hair on my stomach. I swallow hard, trying to focus and pace myself. It has only been three days since I've been with Bella, but it was three days too long.

I close my eyes and relish in the feel of her hands on me, soft strokes down my stomach and to my legs. When she quits, I open my eyes to see where she went. She's standing at the side of the bed, taking off her shoes and her then her pants, leaving her in her panties and t-shirt, so fucking hot.

"Bella," I breathe out in almost a plea. I don't really care what she does as long as she keeps touching me.

She reaches over and tugs at my boxers. I lift my hips, favoring my good leg, but helping her as much as I can. She slides them down and completely removes them.

"You're gorgeous," she says, as she stands over me, gazing at my body from the waist down. "I know I've seen you naked before now, but I think this is the first time I've had the chance to just look at you...like really look at you. I've never seen anything as perfect." She runs her fingers lightly over the bandage on my leg. Bending forward, she places several light, feathery kisses around the area that is tapped up. "I wish I could just take all of this away," she whispers as her lips brush against my skin, her hair falling over her face. I don't know what to say to the way she's practically worshipping my body, so I just stay quiet. She seems to be in her own little world anyway. I'm not certain that she would even hear what I had to say.

Slowly, she makes her way inward, toward the inside of my thigh, kissing as she goes. My whole body shivers at her touch.

"I'm sorry. Does that bother you?" She asks, as she glances up to look at me. Swallowing hard again, I shake my head, but then recant, "yes, but in a good way."

She lets out a low sultry laugh and continues with her ministrations. Running her nose up the right side of my groin, my cock twitches. She looks over at it and licks her lips. She fucking licks her lips. Continuing her way up toward my stomach, she plants kisses, making a path around to the other side, never touching my cock. I feel a small drop of precum leak out, as it begs to be touched.

Bella reaches up and touches me, finally. She cups her hand around my balls and begins to rub them, making me ache even more for her.

I look down again, unable to keep my eyes from her. The visual is almost more of a turn on than her touch. Her eyes meet mine and she cocks an eyebrow. Never breaking our gaze, she moves closer to my cock and darts her tongue out, licking what has dripped out.

I have to close my eyes and breathe in forcefully, if I don't, I am going to lose my load right here and now. Breathe, just breathe.

Slowly, she eased me the rest of the way inside her mouth. It's hot and wet. I want to thrust up into her, but I don't want to do anything that makes her uncomfortable. I wouldn't want her to stop what she's doing, so I let her have control.

She pulls back up, lightly sucking as she goes, twirling her tongue around the top of my dick. Holy shit, that feels good. Next, she runs her tongue back down my shaft, toward the base, and back up again. With one hand on my balls and the other gripping my cock, she repeats those movements over and over, giving the tip attention every time she reaches the top.

I feel the coiling in my stomach and the loss of self-control. I don't know how much longer I can hold on.

I reach down and touch the back of her head, weaving my fingers through her hair. I need a way to pull her back when I cum. "Bella, baby. I...I can't hold on much longer. I'm gonna cum."

While her mouth is around my cock, she moans and lowers herself down further, until the tip is touching the back of her throat. When she swallows, it sends me over the edge. I let out one more warning. "Bella, I'm..."

She sucks harder and I lose it. Thrusting up to meet her, I cum hard. Bella lightly licks her way back up my cock and plants a kiss on the tip. Watching her do this almost makes me cum again, if I had it in me, but I don't. I'm spent.

I reach down and pull her up to me. She nuzzles her head under my chin and wraps her arms around my stomach. I kiss the top of her head.

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Bella, so much. And not because you just gave me the most fuckawesome blow job of my life."

She giggles and buries her head into my chest. "I'm not that good, but I'm glad you liked it."

I reach up and tip her chin, so I can see her eyes. "You are absofuckinlutely perfect. That was amazing."

She blushes slightly under my intense gaze. I want her to know how serious I am, so I kiss her lips. I kiss her with as much force as I can muster. Brushing my nose up the side of her face, I lightly kiss her cheek and inhale. She always smells so delicious.

Bella reaches down and pulls the blankets up over us. We wrap around each other as much as my injured leg will allow, both enjoying the feel of being in the other's arms.

* * *

**(BPOV)**

Waking up to the smell of bacon in the morning is glorious. It only takes second place to morning sex with Edward. Since, I've decided that he needs to take it easy in the sex arena for the next few days...Nurse Swan's orders...bacon will have to do.

Bacon and Edward have a lot in common. They are both delicious and addictive. You know, they say that bacon is the gateway meat. There are "vegetarians" who cheat with bacon. I think Edward would be the gateway "meat" for lesbians. If someone wouldn't switch teams for him, they wouldn't switch teams for anybody.

With that delirious train of thought, I sneak out of the bed, leaving my delicious gateway "meat" sleeping soundly. I have a feeling he'll be snoozing for a few more hours. He was in some pain about 3 o'clock this morning. I got up and got him a pain pill and a glass of water. He tried to insist on doing it himself, but I quickly ended that useless argument. He was back to sleep about 30 minutes later. I would have been, too, but he started mumbling in his sleep and every once in awhile he would say my name. I couldn't go to sleep due to the fact that I was afraid I would miss something.

Walking quietly down the hall, I almost run right into Carlisle as he's coming out of his study.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm in such a daze this morning. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"It's fine, Sweetie." Carlisle steadies me with his hands on my shoulders. "How did you sleep? Did Edward keep you up all night?"

"No, I mean, yes, I slept fine. Edward didn't keep me up all night. He only woke up once for a pain pill. The rest of the night he slept like a baby."

"Well, that's good to hear. I was worried he might have some trouble sleeping after all that's gone on the last couple of days."

"Yeah, me too, but he did fine."

"I think it's because you're here. You're good for him, Bella."

"Oh, I...," I stumble over my words. "I'm sure it has nothing to do with me. Just good drugs, that's all." I feel my face heating up a little.

Carlisle laughs and squeezes my shoulder, as he directs us into the kitchen.

"What's so funny this early in the mornin'?" Esme asks from the stove.

"Oh, nothin'. Just talkin' with Bella."

"Uh huh, and how are you this mornin'? Was our patient too much trouble?"

"No, I was just telling Carlisle that he slept great. He was only up once."

"All thanks to you, Darlin'."

Carlisle just chuckles from his seat at the table.

I give up.

About half way through breakfast, I realized that Emmett hadn't made his way downstairs, which is completely unlike him. When I asked about him, Carlisle and Esme both gave each other these funny looks and just smiled. Esme finally said that he had spent the night at Rose's.

Wow, so Emmett slept at Rosalie's and Alice went home with Jasper. Well, well, well. Looks like a bunch of people will have some explaining to do later. I smile to myself.

Breakfast was easy and relaxing. I ate my weight in bacon. Carlisle and Esme talked to me and around me like I was one of their kids. It felt as natural as could be, as we discussed Esme's most recent gardening plans, and they asked about my upcoming assignments. It felt good and normal and...like home.

As Esme and I are finishing up the dishes, the phone rings. Carlisle gets up from his seat at the table, folding his newspaper over to keep his place, and answers the phone.

"Hello."

"Good mornin'!" Carlisle converses back and forth with whoever is on the other end of the line.

I go back to drying the dishes. Standing beside Esme in the kitchen, gives me flashbacks of my Grandma Swan. Even when I was just a little girl, she would always give me a job in the kitchen. When Esme starts humming, if I close my eyes, it's almost like my grandma is right there. Even though it's been 14 years since I last saw her, I miss her like it was yesterday.

I feel a nudge on my arm. "Hey, Darlin'. Phone's for you," Esme motions with her head towards the phone Carlisle is holding out.

"Oh, sorry."

"Daydreamin' already this mornin'?" Esme says, with a smile in her voice.

"Yeah, I guess so." I take the phone from Carlisle.

"Hello."

"Hey, B!"

"Hey, Em!"

"I really just called to talk to you, but I had to make it like I called to talk to the old man, or he would have got his feelings hurt. He can be such a girl sometimes. If you understand everything I'm sayin', just say 'yes'," Emmett says like he's on some sort of covert operation.

"Yes, Emmett. I understand you loud and clear."

"Ok, so, what are you and Dr. House doin' later today?"

"Dr. who...oh, Dr. House, right...the cane. Well, since Dr. House won't be running any marathons or climbing trees, I guess our schedules are pretty clear. Why what did you have in mind?"

"Well, I thought Rosie and I could come over and we could call Jasper and Alice. Maybe we'll cook some burgers and just hang out this evenin'?"

"That sounds great, Em! I'd really like that. I've missed everyone so much."

"You were only gone two weeks, Bella."

"Are you trying to say you didn't miss me? Oh, Emmett. I'm hurt," I say, laying on the melodramatic a little heavy.

"Of course, I missed you, B! I just had to make sure you missed me as much as I missed you before I said somethin'."

"I'm hanging up now."

"Bye, Bella! I missed you so much," he says in a high-pitched, overly sweet tone. Such a smart ass.

Edward and I spend the majority of the day laying in bed watching the 'Back To The Future' trilogy. As Doc and the locomotive fly across the sky, I look at the clock on the nightstand and realize that everybody will be at the house in less than an hour.

"We've got to get up. Do you need me to help you get dressed or anything?"

"I can think of several things you could help with," Edward says, as he gives me that fucking hot smirk of his.

"Any other time, I would say tell me where to start, but I think we better get ready. I can give you a thorough exam later."

"I'll take the rain check, with promises of a thorough exam."

Edward manages to get ready all by himself. He puts on a pair of jeans that have a few holes in the knees and one by the back pocket, allowing me a peek at his boxers underneath. He pairs the jeans up with a white t-shirt and a pair of leather flip-flops. Is he trying to kill me?

I'm sitting on the bed, just groping him with my eyes.

"See something you like, Ms. Swan?"

I lick my lips, wishing there weren't people showing up in 5 minutes. I get up off the bed and walk over to him, careful not to touch him, so that I don't put any pressure on his leg. I stand on my tiptoes and kiss his jaw gently. "I think you're trying to kill me."

The doorbell rings, interrupting our moment. I suck in a deep breath, as I step away from him.

I get his cane from beside the bed and hand it to him, following him out into the hallway.

I hear Alice's chipper voice as we get closer to the kitchen. "Hello, Mama Esme! Daddy C!"

Hearing her interact with them like that warms my heart. I know that Alice has to love the family as much as I do. We've been each other's family for so long, it's nice to have more people to feel this comfortable around. The Brandons are so much like my family it's scary. I think that's one of the things that drew Alice and me together in the first place. Her parents got divorced about five years ago. Alice is an only child and she's not close to any of her other family members. Both Mr. and Mrs. Brandon are from very small families. So, like me, Alice just doesn't have 'people'. We're each other's people. She's my person.

"Hey, Al." I say, making my way across the kitchen to give her a hug.

"Hey, Bella. Damn, you look good...much better than you did yesterday. I swear the longer you're in the south, the better you look."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment." I laugh a little at her crazy ass.

"As you should."

Emmett and Rosalie show up a few minutes later, and this is the first time I've actually seen them together. Like together, together. The look of contentment on Emmett's face is so evident. I didn't realize anything was missing when we first met. He was adorable and happy and so funny. But seeing him now, I realize that contentment was what was missing. Rosalie does that for him. She completes him.

After dinner, we all just sit around outside talking. Jasper pulls out his guitar and strums a song every now and then. Jose and Johnny are lying beside Edward's chair, being lazy as usual. It's a scene I wouldn't mind repeating every night of my life from here on out.

I watch Edward as he jokes around and laughs with Emmett and Jasper. He looks like a little boy sometimes when all three of them are together.

That thought makes my mind wonder to Edward as a little boy. I bet he was adorable. I'm definitely going to have to ask Esme to show me some pictures.

We talk about everything.

Emmett and Rosalie talk about their trip to the zoo. I get to hear a few cute stories about Carter. I can't wait to meet that little guy. Em and Rose are already talking about moving in together.

Man, these people work fast.

Alice and Jasper talk about their weekend together in New Orleans. I notice a certain look in my best friend's eyes. I can't say I've ever seen it before, but somehow I know what I see is love. I can tell by the way she talks about Jasper and to Jasper, that she loves him. It just oozes out of her. He's equally smitten. His eyes never leave her. It's like she's the sun and he's the moon.

I wonder what people see when they look at me and Edward.

Alice breaks me out of my inner monologue by asking Edward about the incident.

"Was it really scary? I can imagine that you would have been terrified...I mean, did your life, like, flash before your eyes like they say it does before you die? I know you didn't die, but I would think that looking down the barrel of a gun held by a fucking crazy lunatic would be enough." Alice finally takes a breath, giving Edward a chance to respond.

He chuckles a little, not at the questions, but at Alice.

"Yeah, it was scary. I definitely felt like I was havin' a 'come to Jesus' meetin'."

"You know, Edward. All of this has made me really think about life, you know. None of us know what will happen from day to day. It just brings a whole new meaning to all those cliché sayings about "seizing the day"." She pauses briefly, glancing over at Jasper. "If you had one shot, or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment, would you capture it or just let it slip?"

"Alice, did you just quote Eminem?" She doesn't respond to me, and continues her revelation.

"The great philosopher Tupac once said, 'You can spend minutes, hours, days, weeks or even months overanalyzing a situation; trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could've, would've happened - or you can just leave the pieces on the floor and move the fuck on.'"

She turns in her seat so that she's facing Jasper.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that all of this made me realize that I don't want to live my life thinking I'll do something tomorrow or say something tomorrow. I'm going to seize every day. I don't want to live my life with any regrets."

She leans forward, closer to Jasper. He's just as mesmerized by her monologue as the rest of us. We're all hanging on every crazy word that is coming out of her mouth.

"Jasper, will you marry me? Like yesterday? I want to marry you. I can't imagine spending another day without you being mine, so I want you to say that you'll be mine forever."

Jasper reaches up and grabs Alice's face, pulling her in and kissing her hard.

It's such a private moment and I should probably not be staring at them, but I can't look away. I feel like I'm watching one of the 80's rom coms that Alice and I love so much.

Jasper finally pulls back, taking a breath, but keeping his grasp firm on Alice.

"Darlin', I thought you'd never ask." I see a smirk growing on Jasper's lips, mirroring the enormous smile plastered on my best friend's face. It's like they're in their own little bubble and we're all just on the outside looking in.

After a minute or so, never moving from the hold that Jasper has on her, she says, "Bella, wanna be in my wedding?"

We all burst out laughing. What the hell just happened? Did she really just propose to Jasper?

"Holy hell," Emmett saying out loud what I was thinking in my head, "did you just propose to Jazz, Short Stack?"

"Emmett, I may be in a love-induced haze, but I will remember that and kick your ass later. And yes, I did," she says, turning to look at Emmett and her eyes slowly land on each of us. The realization of everything that just took place starts to hit her.

She laughs a little, and nervously starts explaining herself, "I mean, it's not a law or anything that the man has to propose to the woman. We are living in the 21st century. So, stop staring at me like I have a third eye. I meant what I said, I'm seizing every day. You people can keep wasting away the days, but I know what I want," she turns back and looks at Jasper, "and I'm not afraid to take a chance."

Jasper pulls something sparkly out of his shirt pocket, slipping it on Alice's left ring finger. "Sometimes, risks pay off with big dividends."

* * *

**A/Ns**:

**Jiff**: A wedding? What the what? Who saw that coming? Certainly not me! JK ran wild with this story while I was on vacay, dammit! Ok, that's not true. She knows better than to run wild without me!

**Jenny Kate: **Yep, there's gonna be a weddin'! I guess I did get a little carried away. Sorry, but you shouldn't leave me unattended. You said it best, my brain is like herding cats. I just get so caught up in the characters.

**Jiff:** It happens to the best of us.

**Jenny Kate: ** I think a good thing to say at the end of any chapter that isn't a cliffie is "at least it's not a cliffie"...that just seems to make everything better.

**Jiff:** So, how is everyone doing? I'm so glad we all survived the cliffie. Your reviews rocked my world! I'm still on vacay, but now I have WiFi! #spoiled

**Jenny Kate:** I've missed you...and you having WiFi SOFA KING much! It's crazy. It's just not the same writing without you. #sappyFicH00r

**Jiff: ** I'll be home soon and we can have our Jiffy Kate Sleepover! Would you guys want to see a vlog done by yours truly?

***crickets***

Well, while I have your undivided attention, I'd like to encourage you to go to the **Fic This Gif** page here on ffn. It's an amazing contest put together by the one and only ** JadaPattinson**. All of the entries are anonymous and some of the biggest names in Twilight Fan Fiction are judging. But, don't worry, YOU get to vote, too! Just go to the link  RbI9h1u1(remove spaces) , read the entries (there are 35!), and then click the link at the top of the page to vote! And, just in case you were wondering, JK _or_ I _or_ both of us, may or _may not_ have an O/S in the contest! Thanks for supporting our fic community! Love you all!

**Jenny Kate:** Pigtails, pillow fights, SoCo, Rob P0rn, and Twilight on our TV? I can't wait! We love you guys so much. Your reviews have been amazeballs this week. We read each and every one of them...at least once...and we reply to all of them that we can! Thank you so much for rec'ing us and reading us...and just for being you...yeah, YOU!


	20. Tupelo Honey

**Disclaimer: Attention, FicH00rs, we do not own Twilight. We also mean no disrespect to Stephenie. Our mamas taught us better than that. Jiff does own some of her very own pictures of the "Cullen Plantation" (aka Oak Alley). We'll share some video and pics on our Facebook page soon! Now, where were we? Oh, that's right, we've got a weddin' to plan...**

* * *

**(BPOV)**

"We've got some serious planning to do."

Alice just nods her head as she crams a forkful of pancakes into her mouth. She holds a finger up, signaling that she has something to say.

"Yeah, about that. I don't want anything over the top. I just want to marry Jasper. At the end of the day, as long as I'm walking back down the aisle with him at my side, that's all that will matter."

"Oh my god, Alice. You've been reading too many of those damn romance novels or have you been going on your Wedding Story marathons again?"

"No, I'm just speaking from the heart. I'm being totally serious." She puts her fork down and turns to look at me. Yeah, she's totally serious.

"Ok, then, just let me know what you need me to do." I let out a sigh, putting an arm around her shoulder and placing a kiss on top of her head. "I just want it to be the best day of your life."

"It will be. I'll have Jasper."

"Hey, Al?"

"Yeah?"

"I'll always be your person, right?"

She sits back up and looks at me, taking my hands into hers. "Oh, Bella, of course you'll always be my person. Always. Jasper is my soul mate, but you're my best friend, confidant, dance partner, and Patron shooter. I could never replace you."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to go all needy on you. I just feel our lives changing so drastically. For the good, I might add, but changing none the less. I just want to make sure that this," I motion between us, "never changes."

"Not gonna happen. It'll always be me and you against the world."

Alice and I finish eating our breakfast. All of the guys are sleeping in this morning. Esme left a heaping mound of pancakes on the stove...and bacon, of course. Em and Rosalie went back to her house last night. They needed to be home when Carter woke up. I always find myself smiling anytime I think about the three of them together. Emmett already talks about Carter like he's his own. I'm pretty sure he would do anything to be with Rosalie, but you can tell that he genuinely loves Carter, too. They're already a family.

We celebrated way into the night last night, after Alice's proposal. Esme and Carlisle had heard all of the noise out back and came to see what was "so damn funny". Esme kept saying something about how her boys have just kept her in tears lately. She instructed Carlisle to go inside and get a few bottles of wine, which he obliged. We all just sat outside, talking, enjoying a beautiful southern night, and celebrating Alice and Jasper's engagement...and life in general. Alice's speech really touched me and I could tell that it affected everyone else in the same way.

Esme is out in her greenhouse working on some seedlings so, after Alice and I clean up the kitchen, we decide to join her. Even though Alice doesn't want to have a big wedding, we still have plans to make. Besides, Esme is an absolute genius when it comes to party planning. She makes everything sound so easy.

"How about we just use the back yard? I'll call the caterers and have them bring out hors d'oeuvres. My friend Miranda makes gorgeous wedding cakes. I know she wouldn't mind bringing over a few samples for us to try. I'll take care of all the flowers myself. We already have our resident photographer," she says, as she smiles at Bella, "The only other thing we need is a minister. Father Boudreaux is out of the question. He only performs marriages in the church, but I know someone who would do it. I'll give him a call later today." Esme pauses and finishes potting a plant she's been working on.

Alice and I just stare at her, completely in awe. She looks up at the two of us, as she wipes her hands on her apron and says "I hope I'm not oversteppin' my boundaries. You tell me if I am. I tend to get carried away with this sort of thing."

"No, Mama Esme! I love everything you said." Alice throws her arms around Esme's neck and Esme hugs her back. "I don't know why you're so willing to do all of these wonderful things for me, someone you've known less than a month, but I'll be eternally grateful."

"You're family now, Alice. Might as well face it," Esme says, as she pulls back, looking at her. "I just want you to be happy, sweet girl. That's all the thanks I need."

"What do I need to do?" Alice asks.

"Well, you and Bella need to go shopping for some dresses and since we're doing this on such short notice, you might want to give all your family and friends a call and tell them to get their asses to French Settlement next week. We're gonna have a weddin'!"

Alice and I head back into the house to make phone calls.

We walk in and see Edward, Jasper, and Carlisle sitting at the dinning room table.

"Hey, I see you managed to make it out of bed and get dressed by yourself," I say to Edward, stopping behind his chair and planting a kiss on the top of his crazy, morning hair.

"Well, Jasper came and woke my ass up. He helped me put my pants on."

I glance over at Jasper. He just nods his head to confirm what Edward said and keeps shoveling bacon into his mouth.

"Jasper, Alice and I have wedding stuff to do. Do you think you could hang around here today and look after Edward?"

"I don't need lookin' after. I'm not an invalid."

"Whatever you say, Dr. House."

"Well, if you're going to be stealin' Alice, then I don't have anything to _do_," Jasper says, waggling his eyebrows at Alice. "So, I'll just hang out here until y'all get back."

"I'll be hangin' around the house today, too," Carlisle chimes in. "So, you girls go do what you need to do. Edward will be well taken care of." He smiles and laughs a little, glancing over at Edward.

"I don't..."

"Yes, we all know." I lean over, silencing him with a kiss. "You don't need to be taken care of, but I do believe, Mr. Cullen, it was you who once told me that it is OK to let other people help you when you need it," I say, as I kiss his cheek and head to the bedroom to get dressed.

"I believe you, my boy, have met your match," I hear Carlisle say as I'm leaving. His laughter fills the house and Jasper joins in.

Alice doesn't really have a lot of family, but she still owed her mom and dad a phone call. She said Mrs. Brandon cried and her dad seemed happy. He said he was afraid she was going to be a crazy cat lady. For some reason, he thinks that if you're older than 25 and you're not married or engaged, there is something wrong with you. I think there is something wrong with him.

Alice also makes calls to a few people at the magazine. They'll be more likely to show up than her own family.

We decide that a trip to Baton Rouge is in order. Surprisingly enough, the metropolis of French Settlement doesn't have it's own bridal shop. So, after Alice makes her phone calls, we head out.

Esme had called ahead and somehow managed to get Alice a last-minute appointment at a well-known bridal boutique. We drive straight there, and when we walk in, the two ladies working in the boutique greet us in the southern style we are becoming accustomed to. They treat us like we are old family friends. I'm assuming that Esme is a long-time friend of theirs. They speak highly of her and ask us how she and Carlisle are...and the boys. I blush a little as Alice gushes, telling them that I am, in fact, Edward's girlfriend. For some reason, that just doesn't express the strength of mine and Edward's relationship, but it's the title that will have to do for now. The older blonde-haired lady, Irina, takes my face in her hands and beams, as she tells me how happy she is that Edward has found his "someone".

"When will we be fitting you for a wedding dress, Bella?" The other lady, Daphne, asks me, as she's taking Alice's measurements.

"Oh, uh...well, Edward and I..."

Alice cuts me off, and says, "Soon," in her chipper, self-assured tone.

"Alice, stop it. We've only known each other a few weeks," I say to Daphne.

"Well, sweetie, true love knows no time constraints," she says, as she makes notes on a sheet of paper. "OK, Alice, are you ready to start finding your dress?"

"Um, yeah, I guess." This is the first time in the last 24 hours that I've seen Alice look nervous or uncertain.

"What's wrong, Al?"

"Nothing is wrong. It's just that this part, finding the dress, it's the one thing I've always dreamed about since I was a little girl. I've never thought much about the ceremony or the guests, but I've always dreamed about what I would look like walking down the aisle to meet my future...my happily ever after."

I look over to see Irina and Daphne giving each other a sideways hug, with their heads tilted toward one another, and tears glistening in their eyes.

"I...I'm sorry. Yes, of course, I'm ready. Let's get this show on the road." Alice steps off the pedestal and makes her way toward the racks of dresses. Normally, Alice would be the type to have a dress custom made, but with our short time frame, she's forced to buy something off the rack.

Irina walks up behind Alice and turns her around, redirecting her toward the back of the store.

"We've got just the thing. You don't worry, Honey. Daphne and I have a few dresses that we reserve for special people like yourself." She winks at Alice and we all make our way to the back of the store.

As we drive back to French Settlement, I sit there and let the last two days' events soak into my brain. Alice is getting married. Alice proposed to Jasper...and is getting married. Alice is getting married to Jasper in less than two weeks!

Sunday morning rolls around, and in true Cullen fashion, we are all present and accounted for at mass.

After church, we come back to a feast prepared by Esme, with the help of Alice, Rosalie, and I; since Esme's usual sous chef isn't pulling his weight right now. Edward helped as much as he could, but it's frustrating for him to have to use the cane. I can tell his leg is already getting stronger, but he still needs to use the cane until the doctor says otherwise. His physical therapy sessions will start on Tuesday. He says he doesn't need them, but they're only for a couple of weeks. He knows between his mother and I, he has no choice.

Everyone sits around the table after lunch, rubbing their over-stuffed bellies. Edward turns to me and grabs my hand. "Hey, Chuck, wanna go for a drive?"

"Sure. Where are we going?"

He looks into my eyes, and I see a blush creep onto his cheeks. I can tell this is important to him and I love how adorable he is. "There's just somewhere I'd like to take you," he says in a lower voice. "It's kind of a surprise, but it will take us a few hours to get there, so we need to get on the road soon."

"Ok, I'm ready now," I say, hoping up from my seat at the table. "Do I need to bring anything?"

"Nope, just your beautiful self," he says, as he stands up and kisses my forehead.

Looking at him, I realize that I would go anywhere with this man. No questions asked.

I had already made myself comfortable after church, changing into a denim skirt and a tee shirt, but I make a quick last minute wardrobe change in the downstairs bathroom. I'm feeling adventurous. Grabbing my purse, I head out to the garage. Edward is standing there with one of the overhead doors open and in front of him is a shiny grey sports car. I stop walking and stand there with my mouth hanging open.

"Uh, are we taking that? I mean, are you driving that?"

"Yep, I don't get her out on the road nearly enough. She needs to stretch her legs," he says, as he runs his hand lightly down the side of the car. Fuck, that's hot. I feel a twinge of jealousy over a piece of steel. "BMW Z4...isn't she pretty?" I nod my head in agreement.

I'm suddenly extremely happy about my last minute wardrobe change. I feel the heat building up between my legs and nothing has even happened...yet.

The first part of our trip is spent in light conversation about the upcoming wedding. Edward just shakes his head in amusement as he says, "I can't believe that Alice just fuckin' proposed. She's got balls."

"I know, one of the many things I love about her," I say, with a smile on my face.

"She's gonna be good for Jasper. I've never really approved of anyone he's brought around. None of the locals seem worthy enough. I've always been worried that Jasper's good heart and intentions would get him in trouble. Most girls he's been with have just taken advantage of his generosity and southern charm. After his bad break-up with Maria, he's pretty much just played the field, so to speak. I could tell from the first night he met Alice that he saw something different in her."

"I could tell, too. I mean, from Alice's point of view. I knew when we were getting ready to leave Baton Rouge and she wouldn't divulge any information about their time together, that something was different."

We sit in comfortable silence for a few miles.

"I've always wondered if I believed in all that love-at-first-sight bullshit," Edward says.

I turn my head to look at him, resting it against the back of the seat. "And?"

"I don't know. I thought most people who claimed they had fallen in love right away were just confusin' love and lust."

"What do you think now?" I ask, keeping my eyes trained on him, as he keeps his on the road. I watch his strong jaw line and I make my way up to his eyes, noticing that he has ridiculously long lashes. Men shouldn't have lashes that long. It should be against the law.

"I think I was wrong. I _know_ I was wrong," he says, reaching over the gear shift, finding my hands folded in my lap, and placing his over them. He starts making soothing circles on the top of my hand with his thumb. I just sit back and watch the world go by, enjoying every second of his touch.

I look at the clock on the car dash and realize we've been driving for over an hour.

"Edward, where are we going? We've been on the road for quite a while now."

"Don't worry, Love. I have everything taken care of. You just relax, ok?" He moves his hand down and places it on my bare thigh. My legs are immediately covered in chill bumps and I squirm a little bit in my seat. I'm reminded of my wardrobe change and my cheeks flush.

"You feelin' alright, Chuck?" He looks at me, with that damn smirk on his face. Ok, so maybe I squirmed more than just a "little bit."

I grab his hand and hold it where it is. "I'm fine, Edward. I, uh...I kinda forgot that I was going commando." I let that last statement hang in the air, waiting to see how he will react.

I feel the car swerve a bit and I swear I can feel the hand that I am holding start sweating. I mentally fist pump.

"Um...uh, Bella? Did you, um, just say that you aren't wearing, uh, anything under your skirt?"

Hot damn, I just heard him gulp! This is so much fun!

"Well, yeah. It's really hot outside and I thought it would be nice to feel the breeze blow up my skirt." I smile at him as innocently as I can, hoping he buys what I just said. I feel a little twitch on my thigh and, when I look down, I see his fingers trying to move up under my skirt.

"Mr. Cullen, you need to keep your eyes on the road and your fingers where I can see them while you are driving!"

"Now, Bella, how in the hell am I supposed to concentrate on driving when you are sitting that close to me and not wearing any panties?" I think I see beads of sweat forming on his forehead even though we have the A/C blaring.

"You're a grown man. You can control yourself until we get to our destination, can't you?"

His voice is low and husky but I hear every word he says next. "Baby, can I touch you while I drive?"

This is not what I was expecting. I thought he was going to pull over onto the side of the interstate and try to fuck me in the car. I'm all for car sex but not on the highway for everyone to see. What he just proposed has me instantly turned on and I feel my arousal seeping between my legs.

"How can you touch me and drive safely at the same time?"

"I want _you_ to fuck yourself with _my_ fingers. You move them the way you like it. I want you to feel good. Can you do that for me?"

I can't help but bite my lip when I answer him, softly, "Ok."

Edward lets out a deep breath and starts moving his fingers up to my pussy. I was about to question him, since he said I was supposed to do the moving, when he tells me, "I just want to feel you first."

I nod and bring my left foot onto the seat while turning my body towards him, opening up myself to him. My eyes roll back in my head and I moan when I feel his fingers move up from my entrance to my clit in one swift movement.

"Fuck, Bella. You really aren't wearing any panties and you are so wet."

"Maybe we should pull over somewhere to do this.."

"No. I can handle this, I promise. I just love the way you feel. You've been takin' care of me all week; let me take care of you."

How can I say 'no' to that? I really hope we don't have a wreck.

He continues to rub my clit and then my folds, increasing the pressure of his fingers gradually. It feels so good to have him touch me like this and the excitement of doing this in the car makes it even better. Edward has great control of himself and the car; he hasn't swerved again and he is keeping his eyes on the road...most of the time. It's also a good thing that he set his cruise control when we first got on the highway.

"Put my middle finger inside your pussy."

I have never done anything like this before and it is such a turn-on hearing Edward direct me like this. I take his middle finger, rub it in the wetness between my lips, then slowly insert it. We both moan at the same time. It feels amazing to have his finger inside me and I know he loves the feeling, too. I continue to pump his finger in and out of my pussy, slowly at first, but it soon becomes not enough. I need more of him.

"Can I have another finger, Edward?"

"Fuck, yeah, Baby. How many do you want?" He's so cute when he's turned on and flustered.

"Just one for now," I answer, as I put another finger inside me.

"Shit. Talk to me, Bella. How does it feel? Do my fingers make you feel good?"

"Oh, yes, Edward. You're fingers make me feel so fucking good!" I am moving both fingers in and out faster now and my hips raise up with every pump. I'm so close to coming but I still want more. This time, I don't ask. I grab his index finger and push all 3 fingers inside of me as I gasp at the intense feeling.

"Mmm, oh god, Baby, I love it when you fuck me with your fingers. I'm so close!"

"Rub your clit with your other hand, but don't stop moving my hand, OK? I'm gonna make you come so hard, Bella."

I grab his wrist with my right hand, keeping up the forceful pace, and I use my left hand to rub my clit. My right foot is now on the dash board and all thoughts of other people on the road have completely left my mind.

I look over at Edward and he glances at me quickly before looking at the road in front of us. I can see his jaw tensing as he grinds his teeth and he is breathing heavily as though he might come with me.

I feel the tingling between my legs build and the coiling in my stomach tighten, until I can't hold back any longer; and I come all around Edward's hand. Still pumping his fingers in me, my orgasm keeps going. I throw my head back against the seat and scream his name. The sounds flowing out of my mouth make no sense, as I finally start calming down from my euphoric state.

I am panting when I start slowing down Edward's fingers, leaving them in me once they've stopped. I take my hand away from his, so that I can move my now sweaty hair from my face. He wiggles his fingers just a bit and, of course, it makes me squirm again.

I laugh and wait for my breathing to go back to normal before I say, "That was incredible, Edward. Thank you for not killing us while making me feel so good."

"Any time, Darlin'." He smiles at me, then slowly pulls his fingers out. I was about to offer him a napkin from the glove compartment, when I see him stick all three of his fingers in his mouth. He actually moans as he sucks my juices off of him and I feel myself getting ready for Round 2.

I still don't know where we are going, and at this point, we may not get there, but I don't really care right now. I am perfectly content, just being with Edward. In fact, I am at ease, I soon find myself drifting off to sleep.

I'm not sure how long I napped, but I feel a little embarrassed when I wake up.

"Edward, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep," I say as I sit up in my seat, rolling my head around to get the kinks out. "I usually don't fall asleep when I'm riding in a car, but for some reason, I feel really relaxed on this drive." I laugh and nudge his arm with my hand.

He laughs and grabs my hand. "Don't worry about it, Angel. I'm glad I could help you relax. I can't wait to make you feel relaxed again." He places a gentle kiss on my hand. "But, first, you need to look out your window. We're here."

I do as he says and start taking in the view, trying to figure out where we are. I quickly realize that we are off of the main highway, parked on the side of a road. There are tall trees all around except for in the fenced-in area facing us. I'm still a bit confused, until I read a sign that says "Floral Hills Memorial Gardens".

I turn to Edward with a questioning expression on my face. He gives me a shy glance and he's blushing again. "You brought me to a cemetery?"

He brings his hand to my face and rubs my cheek with his thumb.

"I brought you to see your grandma, Bella."

I gasp as tears instantly form in my eyes. Edward remembered that I wasn't allowed to go to Grandma Swan's funeral when I was younger and that I've never visited her grave so, he brought me to her. I didn't think it was possible to love him any more than I already do but I was wrong.

"Edward. I...I...I don't know what to say. I can't believe you brought me here. How did you know where to find her?"

"I did some research while you were shopping with Alice. I know how much she means to you and I want you to be able to spend some time with her. I hope that's okay."

Tears are flowing freely down my face now. "This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. I love you so much. Thank you!" I throw myself over the middle console and wrap my arms around his neck, hugging him as tight as I can. He holds me close and kisses the side of my head.

"I love you, too, Bella. More than anything."

I sit back and wipe my face. "I can't believe I'm really here. Would you like to go with me?"

"Only if you want me to, Baby. I understand if you want some privacy."

"I always want you with me."

He smiles and leans over, kissing me on my lips. "Let's go see your grandma."

Edward gets out and walks to my side of the car, opening the door for me. My southern gentleman.

I smile and grab his hand, letting him help me out of the car. As we are walking into the cemetery, I am filled with peace and happiness, knowing I can face anything with Edward by my side.

* * *

**A/Ns:**

**Jenny Kate**: *le sigh* Man, that Cajunward...he's just so damn swoony.

**Jiff**: Swoony...sweet...sexy...thoughtful...sexy... Oh, sorry, I repeated myself.

**Jenny Kate**: 'Sokay...it's worth repeating. Hey, by the way, what is up with everyone thinking this is the end of SoCo?

**Jiff**: For realz! We take care of one little problem and, all of a sudden, everyone thinks the story is almost over! Don't they know we are attention-h00rs and are having way too much fun to stop right now?

**Jenny Kate**: Yep, like poodles on crack. I don't ever want SoCo to end. I know it will, but I'll be sad when it does. For now, though, there is a lot of story left to tell. So, stick with us!

**Jiff**: Like a WEDDING! I love how you all were surprised by Alice's proposal and that you are already wanting Bella and Edward to get married! You're romantic h00rs and I love you all!

**Jenny Kate**: You're our kind of people! Kindred spirits! We've had the best time replying to reviews. You guys make us laugh, smile, blush from your compliments...and occasionally, choke us up from the incredibly nice things you say about SoCo. We take this story so personal, it's an extension of ourselves, so just know that every word you say touches us. #sappyh00r

**Jiff**: Speaking of being sappy, I have to admit that I teared up just a bit when I visited Oak Alley Plantation (aka Cullen Plantation) the other day. It was both surreal and amazing to see the plantation and grounds in person, knowing it plays such a huge part of our story. I can't wait to share my pictures and videos with you!

**Jenny Kate**: *sniffles*

**Jiff**: Don't cry, JK, I bought you some souvenirs! BTW, I'm terrible at keeping secrets when it comes to gifts so, SURPRISE!

**Jenny Kate**: *jumpy claps* YAY! Prezzies! I so happy. ←-this is where Emmett gets it. *winks* Did you go to Hot Pockets? Did you buy me a shirt?

**Jiff**: I can't tell you what I got you! But, I will tell you that one of your prezzies has something to do with gators. :-) We ate lunch at the Oak Alley Restaurant, which is a great place but not as "laid back" as I imagine Hot Pockets to be. I ate a half of a shrimp po'boy, fries, and gumbo, plus, I drank 3 different types of mint juleps!

**Jenny Kate**: Yeah, Hot Pockets is the shit. Damn, we have got to get that teleporter working! *beam me up, Scotty* You did me proud.

**Jiff**: Thanks! I had a great time with my dad and kids (it was Father's Day) but I really wish you would have been there with me!

**Jenny Kate**: *sniffles again* Me too. Gah, I'm an emotional mess tonight. I'm normally not this sniffly. Maybe it's this damn summertime cold I've managed to acquire. When will you be home, Jiffy Lube? I miss you like a whore misses her virginity.

**Jiff**: Wow, I guess that's a lot! I'm strangely flattered by that comment. I'll be home in a week but I have to lose all of the vacay weight I've gained before you can see me.

**Jenny Kate**: WHAT THE HELL EVER! I'm seeing your azz...STAT. I've gained 10 pounds since I went to Huntington Beach, so we're even. We need to join that BD2 Bootcamp biznass. I can't be Fatty McGee when I meet The Pretteh. We should probably wrap this shiz up...we've written a whole other chapter in Author's Notes. WE LOVE YOU GUYS! Thanks for supporting SoCo and all of our crazy!

**Jiff**: You're right! #wordybitches remember? Also, please, remember to read the entries to Fic This Gif and vote for your favorite. I was told the link I added last time didn't work so, do an author search on ffn for FicThisGifAnonContest. We'll also link it on our fb page! Thanks for supporting the fic authors who entered. There are some great O/Ss on there!


	21. Home

**Disclaimer: We do not own Twilight. Jiff does have a couple of tickets to a Houston Astros game tonight! JK just has a drug store on her night stand. Hope you enjoy the chapter...I tried not to sneeze on it.**

* * *

**(EPOV)**

"Edward! I cannot go see my grandma like this!"

I turn to look at Bella and see a look of horror on her face, her complexion white as a ghost. I can't imagine what has changed in the ten steps we've taken toward the cemetery.

"Bella, sweetie, I'm not followin'. Like what?"

She looks down toward her feet and sweeps a hand over the back of her skirt. "Like. THIS." She says, with her wide brown eyes begging me to understand what she's talking about. I wish I did, but I don't.

I turn to her and take both of her hands in mine. "If you need more time...more time to think or adjust to the idea of seeing your grandmother's grave, then we can go back to the car. We can sit here all night, if that's what it takes."

"Edward! I don't need time to adjust. I need panties. Panties, Edward. I can not go see my grandma without wearing panties!" She's freaking out on me a little and it's adorable. I realize now what she's talking about and I double over from laughing so damn hard. I let go over her hands and brace my hands on my knees to keep myself from falling over. "Oh, shit." That's all I can manage to get out.

I glance up at her and she's fuming. "What?" I curtail my laughter, realizing that she's doesn't think this situation is quite as funny as I do. There's actually a potential that Bella might be pissed. This isn't good.

"This isn't funny." She turns around and starts marching back to the car. I've got to fix this. Things were going so perfect. I can't let a pair of panties stand between Bella and her finally getting to properly say goodbye to her grandma. Hell, I'll give her mine if that'll help. Not that I wear panties, exactly. I'm more of a boxer-brief kinda guy.

"Bella, wait," I call out to her, hobbling along to catch up. My damn leg is throbbing from all of the laughing and putting weight on it. I guess I'm going to have to pull the cane out of the back seat and use it. If Bella and Emmett would just give up the Dr. House nickname, I wouldn't be so hesitant to use it. Those two are trouble together, both professional smart asses.

Before I can catch up to her, Bella is already sitting in the passenger seat of the car. I can't see her head, due to the fact that she's bent over in the seat. I hope she's not upset. I reach the car and tap on the window. She pops her head up and gives me a smile, before she shimmies her hips and slides a small piece of black material up under her skirt.

She opens the door and hops out, closing it behind her. "There, all better."

"Do you always keep a spare pair in your purse? Do you lose a lot of panties? Is there something I should know about?"

"Oh, uh, these were from earlier. I, um, actually, made a last minute wardrobe change in the bathroom right before we left."

"So spontaneous, Miss Swan." I give her a smirk and reach up to brush a stray piece of hair out of her face, which is flushed from the effort it takes to redress in the car, and her hair is a little wild. I've never seen her look more beautiful than she does right now. "Let's go see your grandma."

I use my cane in one hand and hold Bella's hand with the other, as we make our way to find Bella's grandma's grave.

Fortunately, we don't have to walk down too many aisles, the cemetery is small and Bella sees "Swan" on the back of a pale grey headstone as we make our way down the second aisle. I release her hand and she takes the few steps toward the plot by herself.

I hang back a little and give her some time with her grandma. It seems like a personal moment and I don't want to interfere. Behind me is a bench, so I decide to have a seat and rest my leg while Bella has her moment.

I just watch her. Her hair blows in the gentle breeze and occasionally I see her hand go up to her face, wiping at fallen tears. It takes everything in me to stay on the bench and not go to her. I want to catch every tear that ever falls from her eyes. Better yet, I'd like to keep any more tears from ever falling, but I know that isn't real life. I can't keep heartaches from Bella's life. I can be there for her to make them all more bearable, and that's what I want to do. I want to always be there for her. As I sit there, I start formulating my own plan about how I can keep her here for good.

Bella turns around and her eyes find mine. She gives me a small, shy smile and motions for me to come join her. Using my cane, I get up from the bench and make my way over to stand beside her.

"Grandma, this is my Edward. The one I was just telling you about." She reaches over and gives my hand a little squeeze. Then, she looks up at me with her big brown eyes and whispers, "say 'hello'".

"Oh, sorry. Um, hello, Grandma Swan. It's nice to finally, uh, meet you, I guess." I shrug and look down at Bella. She smiles up at me. "Bella has told me so many great things about you. I know she misses you somethin' awful."

"Edward surprised me by driving me all the way here to see you today. I told you he was wonderful."

"You should be really proud of your granddaughter. She is beautiful and talented and successful and independent...and amazing. I imagine she got a lot of her qualities from you. She's the best thing that's ever come into my life."

I look down to see Bella looking up at me, her eyes glistening. It's almost dark and I know we need to get going, but I don't want to rush Bella.

"I'm going to rest my leg and have a seat on the bench. You can have all the time you need."

"No, I'm ready."

"You sure? I don't want you to feel rushed."

"I'm sure. I've haven't felt this close to my grandma in a long time. I feel like she's right here with me...like I'm taking a part of her with me." Her hand goes up over her heart and she looks down toward the headstone. "I love you, Grandma. I'll be back to visit again soon." She takes her hand and brings it to her lips, then to the top of her grandma's grave. Leaving a kiss, something of herself behind.

The walk back to the car is quiet. We're the only people out here and the cemetery is off the main highway, so there hasn't been any traffic or anything. Just quiet.

I open the door for Bella and make my way around to my side of the car, putting my cane in the backseat, I get in the car.

"Thank you for this."

"Anything for you." I reach over and take her hand, bringing it to my lips, I kiss it and inhale her scent...Bella, my Bella.

**(BPOV)**

As Edward holds my hand in his lap, I look out of my window and just take in the moment. I am still amazed that Edward did the research to find where my grandma is buried and then drove me here for a surprise. He's such an incredible man and he's mine, all mine.

I feel so much peace now that I've seen where she is buried and was able to talk to her. I know it may sound silly to some people, but I really do feel close to her again. I'm also so happy I was able to introduce Edward to my grandma. He was so cute, not knowing what to say, but still trying to make me happy.

All of this thinking of Grandma Swan reminds me of my dad and I finally feel ready to face him...on the phone, that is.

"I'm going to call Charlie," I tell Edward.

"Right now?"

"Yeah. I'm ready. I need to confront him and find out why he made the decisions he did. I want answers. I also want to tell him about you, about us," I say, as I look into his eyes.

He gives me my favorite crinkle-eyed smile in return and kisses my hand again. Having Edward's support means the world to me, and if Charlie can't accept that, then it will be his loss.

I take a deep breath and let it out before turning my phone on and dialing my dad's phone number. Let's do this.

"Bells? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me, Dad. How are you?"

"Well, I'm fine, Honey. How are you? _Where_ are you?"

"I'm, uh, on a little, uh, vacation right now and I'll tell you more about that in a minute. But, first, I want to ask you a question and I want you to answer me truthfully."

My dad hesitates for a moment before answering "Okay." I hear him moving the phone around, and I can imagine that he's running his hand over his face. He always does that when he's faced with something he doesn't want to deal with.

"Dad, why do you hate the south so much?"

I hear him sigh deeply into his phone. "Bella, we've talked about this before. The south is filled with nothing but ignorant, racist, hicks. There is nothing there to like."

"But, you are from the south. I don't understand how you can hate something that is such a huge part of you. It's your heritage..." Esme's words come into my mind, "it's where your roots are. There has to be more that you are not telling me."

"Why are you so concerned about this? You're not planning on moving to the south, are you? Please, Bella, what is going on?"

"I'll tell you my news _after_ you tell me the truth, Dad."

"Fine. You're stubborn, just like your mother, you know that?"

"I'm pretty sure Mom would say that you are the stubborn one, so quit stalling, please."

I hear him chuckle lightly. "Alright. I know it is no secret to you about how African Americans were treated back in my day in Mississippi and in other southern states, but you may not realize that it was just as bad for Native Americans. There is a very large Choctaw population in Mississippi and there was a reservation and school close to where I grew up."

He pauses for a second, and then continues.

"I met my best friend, Billy, while playing at a local park when we were both 12 years old. My parents didn't seem to mind our friendship at first because they didn't think it would last long, but they were wrong. Billy was smart, funny, and extremely loyal. We enjoyed many of the same things and were soon stuck together like glue."

I can't help but laugh at his last statement. Charlie hardly ever uses southern sayings and hearing him say one now reminds me of the Cullens. "Billy? This isn't the same Billy you fish with every year, is it?"

"The very same. Against all odds, we were friends all throughout junior high and high school, but it was very difficult. He was beaten up a lot and so was I. We were both bullied relentlessly and it was tough, but I wasn't about to let a bunch of rednecks tell me who I could or couldn't be friends with."

I hear a sigh of frustration from the other end of the phone.

"Your grandparents were good people, Bella, but they didn't want Billy and me to be friends either. They grounded me and even tried to bribe me to stop hanging out with him, but it didn't work. We would play ball in the park and go on double dates with local girls, but we had to be careful where we went and when, because there were almost always people waiting to jump us.

One summer afternoon, before our senior year, we were swimming at a lake close to my house. We'd been there most of the day and were about to leave to get ready for our dates, when some guys from my neighborhood saw us. I had a feeling deep in my gut that this time was going to be bad and it was. It was worse than I could have ever imagined."

Charlie is quiet for a while and I realize I am sitting hunched over in my seat, gripping my phone like my life depends on it. I look over at Edward and he has a worried look on his face. I give him a small smile and shrug because I am still waiting on my dad to finish.

"What happened, Dad?"

"Well, it started out like it always did, just a lot of ignorant trash-talking and insult-hurling, but it quickly became physical. They jumped me first and I hoped that, while they were punching and kicking me, they'd grow tired or bored and leave Billy alone, but that didn't happen. They wanted me out of the way, so that they could really focus on hurting, Billy without being interrupted."

"Bella, they beat him until he was unrecognizable. They broke his bones and knocked out his teeth." He lets out a gasp and I realize my father is crying. I have never heard or seen my father cry, not even when his parents died.

"I tried to help him, I really did. I had a broken nose, a busted lip, and a few broken ribs, but I still tried to pull those guys off of Billy. There were just too many of them. After what felt like hours, they finally stopped their attack, or so I thought. One of the guys had the brilliant idea to throw Billy in the lake and leave him there, so they did. They thought it was so funny, too. I can still hear their stupid laughter because Billy wasn't moving. What they didn't realize was that, when Billy landed in the water, he hit a large rock that was just under the surface. He was instantly paralyzed from the waist down."

When Edward puts his hand on my shoulder, I realize that I have tears running down my face. "Oh, Dad, I'm so sorry." I sniffle into the phone. "What happened next? Were those guys arrested?"

"No, Bells, they weren't. One of the guys' dads was the local police chief and he made sure no charges were filed." Just like Laurent and James. I know stereotyping is wrong, but I'm beginning to understand the one about crooked southern politicians.

"I felt so guilty. If we would've gone somewhere else or left the lake 30 minutes earlier, none of that would have happened and Billy would be walking today. What made it even worse was the fact that my parents wouldn't let me visit Billy in the hospital or see him when he got back to the reservation. They told me I deserved getting beat up for being his friend and for being out in public with him and, now that Billy couldn't walk any more, it wouldn't make any sense for us to stay friends."

"I hated them. I hated them so much, Bella. Billy had been my best friend for 5 years and I wasn't about to turn my back on him, especially when he needed my help more than ever. I vowed right then and there that, when I graduated high school, I was going to leave the south and never come back. I still managed to sneak around and visit Billy, but he understood what I was going through, too. A couple of years after we graduated, he moved up to Washington state and he's been there ever since."

"I had no idea, Dad. That was a terrible thing to go through and I understand why you wanted to get away from all of that, but that still doesn't answer why I had to stop seeing my grandparents. You must've forgiven them at some point."

"After a few years had passed, I did forgive them. I loved my parents; I just didn't agree with them about a lot of things. I could finally see that their bigotry was something they were taught by their parents and peers. It doesn't make their beliefs right, but I thought we could agree to disagree.

"When you were born, I wanted them to be a part of your life. I had a great childhood because of my parents and I wanted the same for you. But, after catching them both making racist comments in front of you a few times, I lost it. I completely flipped out and told them I didn't want you to know them. They were devastated, of course, but I was too bull-headed to care until it was too late. Both of them died a couple of years later, within months of each other.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I truly am. I was only trying to protect you. I know racism is everywhere and that not every person in the south is racist. I also know that you are a smart woman who can make her own decisions, but I thought that, if I could just keep you away from the south, you wouldn't have to deal with the crap I did."

He pauses for a minute, both of us just sitting on opposite ends of the phone, trying to understand each other.

"Can you forgive me?" He finally says.

I lean my head back on my seat and close my eyes. "I'm still upset, Dad, but I do forgive you. I understand why you did what you did. I just wish I would've had more time with my grandparents."

"Me, too, Bells. They loved you so much, don't ever doubt that, okay?"

"Ok, Dad. Thanks for telling me the truth."

"I should have told you sooner, I know. Now, it's your turn to tell me what's going on with you."

I smile for the first time since I started talking to my dad. "I've met someone, Dad."

"Oh, yeah. Your mom told me that you and Jake broke up. It's about time you dumped that jackass."

Wait. What? "What are you talking about? I thought you loved Jake! You always said we were perfect for each other!"

"I thought you loved him, Bella. Your mom was sure crazy about him. I was just trying to be supportive."

"Well, Dad, Jake is an ass, but enough about him. I'm with someone so much better than Jake could ever dream of being." I turn to face Edward and give him a big smile. "His name is Edward Cullen." Naturally, Edward mouths "Edward Fucking Cullen" and I bust out laughing.

"Bella? What's so funny?" my dad asks.

I calm down enough to answer him, "Nothing, Dad. I'm just laughing at Edward."

"You're with him now? Where are you again?"

"We just crossed the Louisiana border. Edward is from the Baton Rouge area, but he drove me to Mississippi to visit Grandma's grave as a surprise." I take this opportunity to run my fingers through the hair above Edward's ear.

"He brought you to my mom's grave all the way in Mississippi as a surprise?"

"Yes! He knew how much I wanted to visit her, but I didn't know where she was. He did the research, found her, and brought me to her. He's truly wonderful, Dad. I love him very much."

"Love? Already? Sounds like you're moving pretty fast there, Kiddo."

"Yeah, well, you might want to make sure you're sitting down for the next part."

"There's more? Are you pregnant?"

I laugh. "No, Dad, I'm not pregnant, but I am moving to Louisiana."

"Damn it, Bella. I'd really rather you were pregnant right now. But, you do sound really happy. So, if you're happy, I'm happy."

"I'm beyond happy, Dad, I promise. I can't wait for you to meet Edward. You'll love him, I just know it!"

"Well, bring him up here one of these days and I'll see for myself, alright?"

"Alright, I will. It was really good talking to you again, Dad. Thanks, again."

"I love you, Bells. Always have, always will. I'll talk you later, ok? Bye."

"I love you, too, Dad. Bye."

I hang up the phone and let out a deep breath. "Wow. That was not what I was expecting at all, but I'm so relieved to have answers. Dad wants to meet you, by the way."

"Oh, yeah? Well, I won over your mom pretty quickly, I'm sure your dad will be just as easy."

"You sure are confident, Mr. Cullen."

"So, you're movin' to Louisiana, huh?" Edward says with a huge grin on his face.

I turn to him and smile. "Like you didn't already know that."

"It's just the first time I've heard you say it, in so many words...and to your dad."

"Yes. I'm moving." I say matter-of-factly.

"And wherabouts in Louisiana were thinking of relocating, Ms. Swan?"

"Oh, I had a certain plantation in mind. I wonder if there are any vacancies. Remind me to make some phone calls when we get home."

**(EPOV)**

My smile grows even wider at Bella's words. Home. She just referred to my house as home. That is something I could get used to.

She tells me what I need to know from the conversation with her dad. After that, we drive in comfortable quiet, making a couple of pit stops for snacks and to let me stretch my leg.

When we pull up to the house, it's after midnight. Bella drifted off to sleep about twenty minutes up the road. Her head is leaning against the window and her hair has fallen over part of her face. I hate to wake her because she looks so peaceful. Her face is so content. I'm glad she had the talk with her father on the way home. From what she told me of the conversation, I think I understand Charlie Swan a lot better. I'm actually looking forward to meeting him. I want to know everything about this angel sleeping in my front seat. Charlie is part of her. I'll make damn sure that we find some common ground.

"Wake up, Beautiful. We're home."

I would carry her to bed, if it wasn't for this cane. I'll be glad to do my physical therapy, so the doctor will sign off on my release. Between Bella and my mama, I can't get away with anything.

We make our way upstairs and Bella wakes up enough to help us both get into bed. She's too tired to do any of her normal nightly routines, so she just undresses down to her t-shirt and panties and crawls into bed beside me. I don't remember much after that.

I wake up to the sun shining in the window, but Bella is not where she should be.

I hear the doorbell ring.

I wonder who could be stopping by this time of morning. Looking over at the clock on the nightstand, I realize that it's approaching noon. Damn, I must have been tired. I reach for my jeans and slide them on while I'm sitting on the bed. My leg is always the stiffest in the morning. I stand and button them up, pull my shirt over my head, and grab my cane from the side of the bed.

As I make my way down the hall, I hear the one voice I could do without for the rest of my life.

"Oh, Isabella. Didn't know you were still hangin' around these parts." Tanya's sugary-sweet fake ass voice fills the front room.

"Nice to see you again, too, Tanya." Bella responds to her, politely.

I hang back in the hallway, just wanting to see what Tanya would say to Bella, without me there.

"So, are you still working on that thing for that magazine or whatever?" Tanya asks.

"Southern Living. No, I'm finished. I'm surprised you haven't seen the issue yet. Esme tells me they're all over town. Everyone has been talking about the article." Score one for Bella.

"Oh, right, I'm sure I heard somethin' about that." Tanya pauses for a second. "So, if you're not here for the article, why are you still here?" she asks.

"I'm sure it isn't any of your business, Tanya. Nothing for you to worry your pretty little head over." There's my sassy girl.

I hear someone taking some steps on the hard floor. "If it has to do with Edward, it's my business...always has been, always will be." I almost laugh out loud. She is so delusional.

"Tanya, what you and Edward had...not have, but had...was just a some sort of friendship, if you want to call it that, with benefits. Nothing more. You probably shouldn't come out here anymore and do not call Edward or approach him in any other way. He is off limits to you and every other female in French Settlement." I lean around the corner, so that I can see Bella and Tanya, without them seeing me. Bella takes a step toward Tanya, raising her hand up and pointing it at Tanya's chest. "You should pass it around. He's off the market."

Tanya laughs in Bella's face. "Oh, really. What? Are you stakin' claim on Edward? You think he's gonna settle down for you...you and your Yankee bitch ass?"

Just when I think I need to step in and come to Bella's defense, she bows up to Tanya.

Bella steps a little closer and puts her hands on her hips, flipping her hair to her back. "You want to see Yankee bitch ass? If I need to make myself any clearer, we're going to need to take this outside. I would hate to break any of Esme's things." She stands nose to nose with Tanya, refusing to back down.

Tanya turns around and stomps to the door. Flinging it open, she turns back to Bella and says, "This is not over." A second later, the door is slamming behind Tanya. Bella walks over to it and leans up against it, letting out a frustrated, muffled scream. "Oooooo, I could kill that bitch," she huffs to herself.

I step around the corner, where Bella can see me.

When she turns around, we make immediate eye contact.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough."

Bella chuckles to herself, and her face blushes a little.

I walk to her, pulling her into me with my free arm. "Bella, baby. That was the hottest thing I've seen in a long time. I don't think I've ever had a woman stand up for me like that," I say, kissing the top of her head.

She looks up at me, wrapping her arms around my waist. "Really?"

"Yes, really. That was awesome. I'm very turned on," I say, pulling her closer so she can feel what she's done to me.

"I think we should finish this discussion in the bedroom," she says as she reaches up and plants small kisses along my jawline.

"Absofuckinlutely."

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**A/Ns:**

**Jenny Kate**: I'd like to discuss some things with Cajunward in the bedroom. Speaking of the bedroom, I haven't left mine much in the last 24 hours. Being sick sucks.

**Jenny Kate**: Really, JK? How bad does it suck?

**Jenny Kate**: It sucks big hairy monkey balls.

**Jenny Kate**: You know what I think about when someone says "balls"?

**Jenny Kate**: What's that, JK?

**Jenny Kate**: I automatically think of 'Get Low'..."from the window, to the walls, to the sweat drop down my balls..."

**Jenny Kate**: "all them bitches crawl..."

***stops dancing and looks around***

Oh, hey! You guys don't think of 'Get Low' when you hear the word "balls"? Huh. That's funny.

So, I bet you're wondering why I'm talking to myself, huh? Well, Jiff is taking in a Houston Astros game tonight! She said to tell everyone "Hey from Houston"! So, "hey" from Jiff!

You'll have to forgive us if this chapter is sub-par. I've been sick all week and Jiff has been in and out of WiFi areas, which makes it really difficult to get a chapter written. We promise to be back on our A game next week! Thanks so much for all of your alerts and reviews...and for rec'ing us to your friends! We say it all the time, but I'm going to say it again...we have the BEST readers ever! You guys make us laugh and smile and sometimes we just want to reach through the computer and hug you. Each review means so much to us! I have had a few bad days this week and it may sound cray-cray, but when I open up my inbox and see a review, it immediately improves my day! So, THANK YOU from the bottom of our Rob-lovin' hearts!

**SIDENOTE**: How many times have you watched the Breaking Dawn Part 2 teaser trailer? Be honest. This is a judgement free zone. Also, did anyone watch any of that bootleg Cosmopolis video that was floating around the Twitter and Facebook this morning? OMR. It's seriously going to make my panties instantaneously combust. I'm sticking by my initial suggestion that movie theaters should rent out little booths to watch Cosmopolis in. They'd make a killing!

**We'd like to say a special thank you to our beta/pre-reader Twifanmom and Smitten_RPattz! We forgot to give them shout-outs in the last few chapters! They're awesome! **


	22. Crazy In Love

**Disclaimer: We do not own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does. We also do not own any of the music used in this chapter except on our iPods. We do, however, own the major ass-kicking that life handed us this week! Again, we apologize for being 2 days late with this chapter. We appreciate your support and understanding and we thank you for sticking with us! Now, who's ready for a weddin'?**

**(BPOV)**

I feel the light feathery touch of Edward's finger running up and down my stomach. I love when he wakes up before I do.

I decide to pretend I'm asleep for a while and see where this goes.

He continues to make a line from between my breasts, all the way down my stomach, and back up. Then, he replaces his finger with his lips. My body naturally wants to squirm under his touch, but I try to use a little self-discipline and stay still. I feel the desire building between my legs.

I always say that he's insatiable, but the truth is that I need him just as much or maybe more. It actually scares me sometimes how much I need him. I can't imagine going back to NY without him. I don't want to. I want to pay some moving company a ridiculous amount of money to go into my apartment and pack up all of my things and ship them down here. I know that's not reasonable or logical, but it's what I would do, if logic and reason weren't around. Damn, those two.

As I'm lying there, pretending I'm asleep, my bladder starts to betray me. I have extreme, sudden urge to use the bathroom.

I'm getting ready to open my eyes and break my facade, but suddenly Edward blows the biggest raspberry on my stomach and I start laughing uncontrollably.

"I knew it!" He jumps on top of me, pinning me down, and kissing anything he can touch. "You are such a faker!"

"Edwa...please...I...bathroom...emergency." Between my fits of laughter, I try to tell him that I need to go to the bathroom.

"What? I'm sorry, Ms. Swan. I can't understand you. You're gonna have to speak more clearly." He continues blowing kisses and nipping at my skin.

I finally take the biggest breath I can manage and yell at him, "I'm going to pee all over this bed, if you don't let me up!"

He finally relents and rolls off of me, slapping my bare ass, as I hop up out of bed and run to the bathroom.

Oh my god, I don't think I've had to pee this bad in the history of forever. Running over to the toilet and sitting before looking, I realize my ass is touching the water.

"EDWARD, you left the damn seat up again!"

"I'm sorry, Woman! I'm an injured man. I do good just to make it to the bathroom during the middle of the night."

"That's bullshit and you know it!" I yell at him from my position on the toilet without a lid. I had to pee too bad to put the lid down. "You can't use your bum leg as an excuse for everything!"

Ugh, men.

After a steamy shower, we get dressed and pack our bags.

We all decided the other night that Jasper and Alice need a bachelor and bachelorette party. Our best friends cannot get married without a last night of drunken debauchery, and what better place than New Orleans.

Rose and I have planned a girls only night for tomorrow night. The guys said they had plans of their own, but tonight we are all planning on hanging out together at a place called The Cat's Meow. I'm really excited. I've never been to New Orleans.

"I wish I could leave this damn cane at home," Edward says from the other side of the room. He's messing with his hair in the mirror on the vanity. I get a nice look at his ass in his jeans, as he leans forward. He is so fuckhawt. What did I ever do to deserve him?

"What are you staring at?" He's smirking in the mirror, looking back at me.

I give him a smile and shake my head.

"Don't make me come over there."

"Is that a threat, Dr. House?"

He throws the cane down on the ground and gives me a look of pure animalistic fervor.

"OK, I'm sorry. I take it back. We don't have time for you to look at me like that. I know what that look leads to and we're supposed to be out front, bags loaded in twenty minutes." I walk over, giggling at his display of rebellion and pick up his cane. As I hand it back to him, I reach up on my toes and kiss his cheek. "Besides, the cane is hot. You know it turns me on," I whisper into his ear.

He clears his throat. "Let's go before I throw you down on that bed and tell them that we're stayin' home."

Twenty minutes later, we are all loaded up and headed to New Orleans.

"No, no, no! And, did I forget to mention, 'Hell No'?" Emmett yelled from the driver's seat. "I am not listening to that Usher song again, you hear me, Easy A?" I laughed at Emmett's latest nickname for Alice. He's been doing a great job of meshing characteristics of hers with famous rappers' names. So far, my favorite is 'TuShort Shakur'. I'm proud of Alice. She's in too good of a mood to let the nicknames bother her and she's only called Emmett 'Sir Shits A Lot' once.

"But, Emmett, I must hear this song at least one more time. You want to know why?" Alice asks and bats her eyelashes.

"No." A few seconds pass and we all know Emmett is going to cave. "Ok, fine. Why must you listen to this damn song again?"

"Because," she answers sweetly, "when I asked my Jazzy to marry me, he said..." She pauses so that she can time the rest of her answer with the song and blurts out "Yeah!" at the same time Usher does.

We all make a sound that is part groan and part laughter, but Alice doesn't care. She just continues to do the Cabbage Patch dance in her seat, while Jasper watches her with a huge grin on his face.

They are completely in love and perfect for one another.

I feel Edward squeeze my hand and I look up at him and smile. We are sitting in the third row of Esme's SUV, while Alice and Jasper are in the second row, leaving Rosalie in the passenger seat and Emmett navigating. He claimed that he should be the one to drive since he's made the trip to New Orleans more times than he can remember. Edward was quick to remind him that his forgetfulness could be blamed on the famous Hurricane drink that Emmett loves so much. I have heard a lot about Pat O'Brien's, the bar that sells Emmett's favorite fruity drink, lately and I am excited to finally go there and try one. I just hope it doesn't kick my ass too hard.

"It's too bad we're taking I-10 into the city," Emmett calls out. "Bella's missing the drive over Lake Pontchartrain!"

I look back at Edward with my eyebrow raised. "Lake Punch-a-train? What is he talking about?"

Edward laughs and answers, ""Lake _Poncha-train._" Remember when we were driving to Mississippi the other day and we were on I-12?"

I blush and whisper, "Not really. I was a little _distracted_ for most of that trip."

Realization dawns on him and his eyes get a wild look in them. He lowers his voice and leans into me, "That you were, Ms. Swan. I'd apologize, but I'm really not sorry at all." He is kissing me now, forgetting all about what he was telling me before. I hate to stop him, but I really am interested in what he was saying.

I slowly pull myself from his lips and catch my breath. "You were talking about a lake or something?"

"Yeah, well, technically, it's not a lake; it's an estuary. But it is one of the largest wetlands in the world, and to cross it you have to drive over the Causeway."

"That's a bridge, in case you didn't know, City Slicker," Emmett interrupts. "It's actually 2 parallel bridges that are just under 24 miles long, putting the Causeway in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest bridge over continuous water." He is smiling like he had something to do with building the bridges.

"24 miles, huh? I'd like to see that one of these days," I tell Edward.

"Well, since you are making the fine state of Louisiana your permanent residence soon, I imagine we can drive over it. 24 miles is a long way, though. I'd hate for you to get bored," he whispers in my ear as he starts stretching his fingers out in front of him.

I jab my elbow into his side, making him cough and laugh at the same time. "Shut up, Edward! One of these days, I'm going to give you a blow job while you're driving down the road, and we'll see how you handle it!" I whisper-yell at him.

His face gets serious and he tries to stifle a groan by grinding his teeth together. "Baby, please don't joke about that. Don't even talk about it while we're in the car with these yahoos. They don't need to see my dick straining to get through my jeans right now, okay?"

I giggle and kiss his cheek. "I'm just getting you back for teasing me with your fingers. Besides, I'm sure we can fool around all we want when we get to our room. You just have to wait a little bit longer."

I turn my body so that my back is leaning against Edward's side, and I snuggle into him, looking out my window. His right arm is around my shoulders and the fingers of his left hand are intertwined with mine. I love how our bodies mold together perfectly no matter what position we are in. I want it to be like this forever.

The drive into New Orleans is not what most people would call 'beautiful', but I like it because it is different from anything I've ever seen. Seeing swamplands and small bodies of water right off of the highway blows my mind. Up until this point, I've only seen that sort of thing on TV or in pictures. Here, though, it is a way of life for people. I love seeing the boats in the water and the locals on the banks fishing.

We are mostly driving past the smaller towns that flank the interstate, but once traffic starts to build up, I know we are getting close to the city.

I've heard tons of stories about how wild and crazy New Orleans is, and I have no doubt that it is true, but what I'm really looking forward to is experiencing the culture. Eating, drinking, and laughing with my friends, while jazz music plays in the background, sounds absolutely perfect to me.

The hotel that Edward booked for us is amazing. It's right in the heart of the city, in the French Quarter. Everything about this hotel screams "Big Easy". It has an Old World feel, but lots of modern touches. I can't wait to break out my camera and capture some of the sights around our hotel.

We don't want to waste any time, so after checking in and getting all of our luggage to our respective rooms, we head out for a little bit of sightseeing. First stop, Jackson Square.

Jackson Square is an area of the French Quarter that faces the Mississippi River and it is where the majority of the local artists and street performers are found. As we walk around the square, looking at St. Louis Cathedral and other historic buildings, I take as many pictures as I can. It will be hard to capture the amazing atmosphere, but I plan on doing the best I can. I also make sure to steal some shots of everybody as they walk together and goof around.

We stroll through the French Market and buy some delicious beignets and cafe' au lait from Cafe' DuMonde, before heading toward Bourbon Street. I can honestly say I have never been to a place like Bourbon Street before. There are people of all types to be found: tourists, street performers, vendors, and some people are already drunk, even though it is still relatively early in the evening. There are souvenir shops, sex-toy stores, strip clubs, dance clubs, jazz bars, and restaurants along the street.

After spending some time walking around and visiting the shops, we finally arrive at Pat O'Brien's Courtyard Restaurant for dinner. Emmett buys the whole group a round of Hurricanes and I am looking forward to the first sip. When we've all been served our drinks, he stands and raises his glass in the air.

"Here's to gunpowder and pussy!

Live by one; Die by the other!

Love the smell of both!"

After laughing at his absurd toast, we all take a huge gulp of our drink. Do not let the fruity garnish fool you; Hurricanes are strong! Strong, but very tasty, and I soon find that my glass is empty.

"Watch out, Bella. The night is still young and we have a lot of partying to do!" Rose yells at me, before downing her drink.

"Do not worry about me. I can hold my liquor!"

Edward starts laughing next to me and I cut him a sideways glance.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm just thinkin' about the last time you drank a lot of liquor. Wonderin' who you'll be drunk dialin' tonight!" He winks at me, as he tosses his drink back.

"I don't know," I say, tapping my chin with my middle finger, letting Edward know that he's 'number one'. "I'll have to take a trip to the bathroom and see who's up for a good time."

Edward wraps his arm around me and pulls me closer to him, kissing me good and hard. I guess that's his way of letting me know that he's the only good time I'll need tonight...or ever.

"Get a room!" Emmett yells from across the table.

Dinner is wonderful and the drinks flow freely. We all laugh until our sides hurt. The more Emmett drinks, the louder he gets, which is hard to believe, but it's true. There were a couple of times I thought we would get asked to leave, but it seems as though we blended right in.

Rosalie insists that we change locations and head over to The Cat's Meow. From what they all say, it is a karaoke bar that is set up like a concert; no tables or chairs, just a stage and a floor. Alice and I used to be regulars at a karaoke bar close to our apartments in New York. So, this is right up our alley.

When we walk in, the place is already packed and a group of girls are up on stage belting out a horrible rendition of 'Respect'. My philosophy when it comes to karaoke is, regardless of your vocal aptitude, you must own it and sing with passion and conviction.

"I hope they have some Snoop Dogg!" Alice squeals beside me, holding onto my arm.

Rosalie, Alice, and I put our heads together and come up with a song to sing. They didn't have a lot of Snoop to choose from, which was a disappointment to Alice, but they did have Salt-N-Pepa, which was something we could all agree on.

As I heard our names being called over the microphone, I quickly kissed Edward and started to walk towards the stage. He grabbed my elbow and asked, "Where're ya goin'?"

"You'll see." I wink at him then make my way through the crowd, joining Alice and Rosalie on the stage.

With our backs to the crowd, we wait for the music to start. Even though I have performed at karaoke bars before, I'm nervous this time because I'll be singing in front of Edward. He has never heard me sing or watched me dance and I want to show off for him. Plus, I'm feeling a bit tipsy from the Hurricanes, so I'm worried I'll forget the words. Thank goodness they show the words on a big screen behind the crowd!

When the music to "Whatta Man" starts, the girls and I immediately start dancing. We are shaking our asses and wiggling our hips as we sing the beginning chorus. When we decided on this particular song, we also chose a rap for each of us, so that all three of us would have a time to shine on the stage.

My rap is the first one in the song, so I take a deep breath and let it out before turning and facing the crowd on the downbeat.

"_I wanna take a minute or two and give much respect to the man that's made a difference in my world." _

I'm no Salt, but I think I'm doing a pretty good job, as I rap the words and continue to dance. The crowd is cheering loudly and when I finally make eye contact with Edward, he looks completely enthralled. If I stare too long, I will definitely mess up the words, so I start moving around the stage, letting myself go and hamming it up for the audience.

When I get to the end of my rap, I make sure to look back at Edward when I say _"You so crazy. I think I wanna have your baby."_ I rub my tummy for emphasis and then blow him a kiss. I don't think I've ever seen Edward's mouth hang open like it is right now. I think I have definitely stunned him, and hopefully, turned him on.

Rose is up next, rapping to Emmett about him having _"a body like Arnold, with a Denzel face."_ Of course, he yells out, "Yeah, Baby! That's my girl!" When her part is over, he is jumping up and down, whooping it up like a mad man.

Alice gets the third rap and her inner sexual beast comes blazing out of her body. As she raps _"from seven to seven, he's got me open like 7-11"_, she does this shimmy with her body, while running her hands down her sides, and looking right at her fiancee'. Jasper is the only one standing still amongst a crowd of people dancing and cheering. The only movement of his, that I can see, is his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. I don't even think he is blinking anymore.

We sing the chorus again before it is my turn to do the closing rap. I give it my all, rapping and dancing all over the stage. I dip my body seductively and roll my head around my shoulders, letting my hair fly all over the place, before we all three end the song with the last chorus.

The crowd erupts in applause but no one is cheering for us louder than our guys. I hop off the stage into Edward's arms, not caring that I am completely covered in sweat and out of breath.

He has his arms wrapped tightly around my waist, as he picks me up off the floor. "That was amazing, Baby!" He puts me back down and kisses me hard. "I had no idea you could do that. That was the sexiest thing I've ever seen!"

I laugh and move my sweaty hair away from my face. "I'm glad you liked it. I do private performances, you know."

"Well, I can't wait to see you perform in our room tonight."

My stomach tightens and I clench my thighs together in anticipation.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Up next we have Emmett Cullen singing _'I'll Be There For You'_! Show him some love!"

Edward and I look at each other in shock. "I didn't know Emmett can sing," I say.

"He can't carry a tune in a bucket! This should be good!" Edward laughs.

The crowd starts cheering as Emmett makes his way up to the stage. He grabs the microphone and says, "This is for my Rosie", before belting out the words to the song. What he lacks for in musical talent, he makes up for with sincere passion. I think Jon Bon Jovi would be proud, once he has covered his ears.

Emmett's eyes never leaves Rosalie's, as he sings and she just stares up at him like he hung the moon. It is such a sweet moment, that even the crowd gives a big "Awwww" when the song ends and Emmett bends over the edge of the stage to kiss her passionately.

Taking a break from the karaoke stage, we move to the back of the room to get more drinks and watch other people perform. I make a trip to the bathroom, and when I meet back up with the group, I am finally starting to cool off.

I hear the announcer ask for another karaoke volunteer, just as I ask where Edward is.

"Look," says Alice, nodding her head towards the stage. I follow her eyes and look up to see the man of my dreams, on the stage. He is always gorgeous, always sexy, but there is just something about seeing him up on the stage that almost makes me come undone right then. His eyes are closed and he is gripping the microphone like his life depends on it. The music starts and all the ladies in the audience start squealing. So much for me staying cooled off.

I am in a complete daze as Edward begins singing _'Wonderful Tonight_'. I didn't even know he could sing, but I know in an instant that his voice is the only one I ever want to listen to again. His voice is smooth and perfectly in tune, sounding even better than Eric Clapton does on the CD. He is putting so much passion into the song and, when he finally opens his eyes and looks right at me, I swear I feel my ovaries explode.

The song ends and it feels like he and I are the only two people in the room. No one else matters; it's just us standing still and gazing at each other. I'm pulled out of my Edward-induced haze when he smiles and speaks into the mic, "I'd like to do another song, if that's ok." The crowd is cheering like crazy by this point and the DJ asks what he'd like to sing next.

He leans over, whispering to the DJ his song choice. Then, says into the microphone, "this next song is also for my girl. My Bella." I feel my face flush, not with embarrassment, but with love and pride as the music for _'Brown Eyed Girl'_ begins. I can't help but laugh and cheer as my sexy man dances across the stage singing to Van Morrison. He keeps his eyes locked with mine the entire time, and when the music stops, I am a hot mess.

Edward walks up to me and gives me a shy look. "Well? Did you like your songs?"

I do not smile, nor do I laugh. I just give him a dead-serious look and say, "You. Me. Bed. Now."

He doesn't need to be told twice. He looks at the rest of our group and yells, "See y'all tomorrow!" Without waiting for anyone to respond, he grabs my hand and quickly pulls me out of the club, taking me straight to our hotel. When we reach our room, he puts the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the outside of our door, before he closes it for the night.

******SoCo******

"Ok, so you've got your something borrowed," I say to Alice, helping her with the pearl bracelet Esme loaned her. "I think this can count as your something old, too. Esme said that it belonged to her mother."

"It's beautiful," Alice says, with tears in her eyes.

"I swear, Alice. If you keep up this crying shit, I'm gonna kick your ass," Rose says, blotting Alice's eyes with a handkerchief. She wraps it around the bottom of Alice's bouquet of roses and peonies, and hands it to her. "Here, at least you'll have this handy. I know you're gonna need it."

"Thank you, Rose. I don't know what I would do without you guys." Alice sniffles, as she takes a look at herself in the full-length mirror.

She looks so stunning. I feel like I'm on the verge of tears myself, but I know if I break the seal, we'll never make it to the backyard for the ceremony; and Rose will kick both of our asses for messing up her make-up jobs.

"You've got your something blue on already, right?"

"Sure do," she says, lifting her dress up, so that Rose and I can see her little white panties with "Jasper's Shawty" on them. I had the lady put blue gemstones outlining the letters. Alice couldn't walk down the aisle without properly representing her gangsta side.

"Her dress can count as something new, right?" I ask, looking at Rose.

"How the hell am I supposed to know? I've never been married before!"

"Where is Esme when you need her?"

Just as the words leave my mouth, she pops her head around the corner. "Alice, you look absolutely beautiful, Sweetie. Are you ready to go get married?"

Alice takes a deep breath, "I think so. Ready as I'll ever be."

I take my place in the backyard, under the oak tree where Alice proposed to Jasper. Edward is standing across from me, in khaki pants and a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. A couple of the buttons are left undone at the top and his hair is perfectly imperfect, as usual. He looks up at me and mouths, "You look gorgeous."

I run a hand down my yellow chiffon dress and blush a little. Giving him a small smile, I mouthed back a "thank you" and a "you, too".

About that time, the music starts. Jasper steps up to the center and waits as Alice walks out of the back doors of the house.

I've never seen my best friend look this beautiful. Her dress is sleeveless with a sweetheart neckline. There is a rhinestone belt around her tiny waist, and then the dress flows out. The bottom of it is covered in fabric gathered to look like roses. Rose swept her hair up in a loose bun. She looks timeless and perfect, just as a bride should on their special day.

My eyes start to fill up with tears and I try not to blink to keep them from spilling over. I glance at Edward and he's not looking at the bride like everyone else, he's looking at me. His face is serious, but happy. We hold each other's gaze for a few moments and then he whispers, "I love you." My heart is so full at that moment that I can't help but let a few tears roll down my cheeks. "I love you too."

The minister clears his throat and Edward and I both laugh a little at being caught, turning our attention back to Alice and Jasper as they step up to the front.

The ceremony is short and sweet, just like Alice. Before I know it, the minister is announcing the newly wed couple.

"Mr. and Mrs. Jasper Whitlock"

Everyone is applauding, and as the processional music starts playing, there is an eruption of laughter from the guests.

"_walk this way, talk this way_

_she told me to_

_walk this way, talk this way_

_just give me a kiss...like this"_

Nothing says Alice and Jasper, like Aerosmith and Run D.M.C..

"Well, Alice," Rose says, as she walks up to the table where we're all sitting having some hors d'oeuvres and champagne, "I always wanted a little sister. I didn't necessarily mean short, but I guess you'll do." She winks at Alice. "Thanks for making an honest man out of my brother." She pulls Alice into a tight hug. I love this new family that's forming right before my eyes.

"Now, when is someone gonna make an honest woman outta you? That's the question!" Jasper teases Rosalie.

"Don't make me hurt you on your wedding day." Rosalie says, about the same time Emmett sits down with a triple-stacked plate of food.

"Hey, you guys, did you ever tell the boys about that stripper from the other night?" Alice asks, as she takes a bite of a canape.

Edward looks at me, with his eyebrows raised and asks, "What stripper?"

"Oh, yeah, um. The stripper from the strip club we went to the other night. Do not look at me like that. You know you guys went and watched some girls swing around on a pole."

"Yes," Emmett pipes up, "and that is called exotic dancing. It's a sport."

"Emmett Cullen, you are so full of shit," Rosalie says, as she rolls her eyes.

"Anyway, this stripper from the club the other night looked really familiar."

"Yeah, he kinda looked a whole hell of a lot like that guy," Alice says, pointing over toward the bar where the drinks were being served.

Edward nearly chokes on his crab cake. "You mean, Riley?"

"Well, if that's the name of the guy with the dark hair and chiseled jaw, then, yes." She replies.

"Holy shit, I thought he gave that up a long time ago," Edward says. "So, exactly how much did you see?" He turns around to look at me and my face immediately heats up to a hundred degrees.

"Not...not much."

"Was there touching involved?"

"Edward! We were at a bachelorette party. What happens at a bachelorette party, stays at a bachelorette party. How would you like it if I went all CSI on your bachelor party?" I don't know why I'm feeling so defensive, but I feel a little under attack here. Emmett and Jasper are both sitting back laughing it off, but Edward seems a little...jealous, maybe?

"Besides, touching is against the law," I tell him and give Rosalie and Alice the death-stare. I dare one of them to open their big fat mouths. I will cut a bitch. Truth is that I was beyond tipsy when we went to the strip club, then I drank some more. It wasn't my fault that everyone kept buying us shots. It would have been rude to turn them down. There are a few minutes that are unaccounted for in my memory. Rose and Alice swore that I didn't do anything bad. I'm trusting them.

"Yeah, but there were a lot of lawbreakers in that club," Rosalie says under her breath. I kick her under the table and she giggles. What the actual fuck?

"Well, hello, Ladies," a deep, smooth voice says from behind me. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit.

Alice and Rosalie clear their throats at the same time, trying to act like they didn't hear anything.

"Congratulations!" He shakes Jasper's hand. "Alice, you make a lovely bride," he says, leaning over the table. He makes pointed glances at the three of us.

"Thank you," Alice manages to get out.

"How's the shoulder, man?" Edward asks him, breaking the awkward silence.

"It's healing up quite nicely. The bullet didn't hit anything important, so I've regained my full range of motion pretty quickly," he answers.

"I'll say," Rose whispers only loud enough for Alice and I to hear. I try to give her the death-stare again, but I can't help but smile and hold in a giggle that's dying to come out.

Edward and Riley walk away from the table as they start talking about how things are going at the police station, saving us from a moment of impending embarrassment.

I glance back over at Rosalie and Alice, and we all lose it. Who knew that Riley, the police officer, twilighted as a stripper? I knew he looked awfully comfortable in that holster.

I turn around just in time to see a tall redhead walk up to Edward and Riley. I remember her from Edward's birthday party, but I can't recall who she is.

**(EPOV)**

While I'm standing there talking to Riley, I catch a glimpse of red hair walking towards us. Victoria walks up and wraps herself around Riley's arm. What the hell is _she_ doing here? I feel myself go on high alert and I take a deep breath, trying to keep my cool.

"Victoria." I nod my head in her direction.

"Edward," she replies back. She looks up at Riley and I see them having a silent conversation. Riley motions his head toward me and clears his throat. Victoria takes a deep breath and starts to speak again, but stops.

"What brings you here today? I have my doubts that you're here to celebrate Jasper's nuptials, and I don't recall you being a friend of Alice." I know I'm being rude, but I can't help it. Her being here puts me on edge.

"Listen, I know this isn't the time or place, but I just need to tell you that I'm sorry for everything that happened with my dad and brother." Her eyes look sad, and for once in my life, I feel sorry for her. "I know that they both caused you and your family a lot of trouble. I'm sure I have too in the past, and I'm sorry for all of it. I just want to live my life without feeling like I have enemies around every corner. I'm not asking you to forgive me or anything, I just needed to apologize."

"Apology accepted." I look at her and see the truth in her eyes. "And, I'm sorry about your dad and brother. I'm sorry things had to go down like that." She nods her head in understanding and Riley pats her on the back, like he's telling her she did a good job. I can't say the way they are acting today is romantic, but it seems like they have some sort of friendship or understanding. I wasn't sure what would become of the two of them after what happened at the cottage.

"I'm moving out of French Settlement and I'm starting over. I don't know if I'll ever be back. There's just too much bad blood around here. But, if I am ever back around here and we run into each other, just know that there aren't any bad feelings." She gives Riley a small smile and then turns around and walks off. Riley and I just stand there in silence for a minute, watching her as she makes her way around the side of the house.

Well, that was unexpected. I let out a breath of air and run my hand through my hair.

"Sorry about that," Riley says, motioning to where Victoria was just standing. "She needed to say her peace. I felt bad bringing her with me, but I had to do that one last thing for her."

"So, what's going on between the two of you?"

"Nothing, anymore. We aired all the dirty laundry and had a few heated conversations, but in the end we realized that there had been too many lies to ever make anything work between us. I think we just have an understanding now."

"It's probably for the best."

Riley nods his head in agreement. "Well, I'm gonna let you get back to the celebratin'. I'll see ya around." He gives me a friendly slap on the back, as he makes his way into the crowd.

I turn around to look for Bella and I see her with Alice and Rosalie out on the dance floor. I have a feeling those three are going to be nothing but trouble from here on out.

The DJ comes over the speakers and announces that the groom would like to give a toast to the bride. I walk up toward the edge of the dance floor, so that I can have a front row seat. Jasper worked long and hard deciding what he was going to say to Alice, and with a little help from me and Emmett, I think he's going to knock this one out of the ballpark.

Jasper takes the microphone and clears his throat. The small crowd hushes, and Jasper pulls up a chair for Alice to sit in. "Alice, baby. This is for you..."

He pulls out a few note cards from his pocket and starts into his speech.

"A great philosopher once said these words," he winks at Alice, "and in an effort to show you my undying love and devotion, I would like to quote them back to you today..."

"_You're the ink to my paper_

_Where my pen is to my pad_

_The moral, the very fiber_

_The whole substance to my rap._

_You are my reason for being_

_The meaning of my existence_

_If it wasn't for you_

_I would never be able to spit this_

_As intense I do and the irony_

_Is you rely on me as much_

_as I rely on you to inspire me like you do._

_You provide me the lighter fluid to fuel my fire_

_You're my entire supply_

_Gas, the match, the igniter._

_The only way that I am able to stay so stable_

_Is you're the legs to my table_

_If you were to break I'd fall on my face._

_But I'm always going to make you feel_

_I don't need you as much as I really need you_

_So you don't use it to your advantage._

_But you're essential to me_

_You're the air I breathe..._

"Alice, I love your gangsta ass so hard. You made me the happiest man alive by saying 'I do' today. I'm going to make it my goal in life to make you just as happy for the rest of our lives. I love you."

Alice jumps out of her chair and onto Jasper, almost knocking him on his ass. Everyone is standing around clapping and wiping their eyes, some from laughing, some from crying. Of course, my mama is standing beside me, bawling like a big ol' baby. I don't think I've ever seen her as emotional as I have these past couple of weeks.

"You ok?" I ask her, as I put my arm around her shoulder.

"Oh, of course! I'm just so happy. Weddings always make me sappy," she says, as she wipes her eyes.

I kiss her forehead and walk onto the dance floor to find Bella.

Marvin Gaye's silky, smooth voice starts singing 'Let's Get It On' over the speakers, and I walk up behind Bella, spinning her around into my arms.

"How about me and you sneak into the house and get it on?" I whisper into Bella's ear, as I pull her close and start to slow dance with her. There is nothing in this whole world that beats holding Bella in my arms, except making love to her, which I would like to be doing right now.

She laughs and lays her head on my chest, as we sway to the music. "Well, I think the guests might think that is a bit rude of us. We are the best man and maid of honor, after all. Doesn't that mean we have some sort of obligations?"

"I think our work is done here. Besides, we could make it quick." I raise my eyebrows at her suggestively.

"I don't want quick. I want long," she swallows and pauses for effect, "and hard," she gives me a smirk, "and forever." She looks at me seriously and I feel the meaning behind her words. If I didn't think I was stealing Jasper's thunder, I would get down on one knee right here in front of everyone and ask her to be mine...forever.

I feel a tap on my shoulder and, before I can turn around, I hear Tanya in my ear, "I'd like to cut in."

Bella pops her head up and gives Tanya a look of disgust and frustration. She lets go of me and assumes her position, with her hands on her hips. I hate Tanya, but I love the side of Bella she brings out. I wouldn't tell her right now, but she's adorable.

"I thought we discussed this already? Apparently, you need the remedial version." Bella whips her head around and finds Alice and Jasper dancing behind us. "Alice," she yells over her shoulder, "do you mind if I kick a bitch's ass at your wedding?"

I look back at Tanya, but she's not budging.

Alice looks over at the situation and her face goes from blissful to bitchy in a matter of seconds. "Bella, you know the policy, 'hos before bros'. I think that applies to this occasion."

Bella turns around and starts taking off her earrings.

Oh, shit.

I step in front of Bella, putting her behind my back. I'm sure she could take Tanya, but I would hate to have to hit a girl; and I'm afraid that's what would happen if Tanya laid a hand on Bella.

"Tanya, you better leave," I warn her. Bella is trying to get around me, and I'm holding her back with my arm.

"You wouldn't let her hit a pregnant lady would you, Eddie?"

It takes a second for what she just said to register, but Bella stops trying to get around me and I just stand there staring at Tanya.

"Yeah, Edward, that's right. I'm pregnant. You're going to be a dad and we belong together. I know family is important to you. You wouldn't want our child growing up without a family, would you?..."

She's keeps talking, but I stop her. "Back the fuck up, Tanya. What the hell are you sayin'?"

I feel a dozen sets of eyes on me. Our altercation has drawn an audience.

"I'm sayin' that I'm pregnant with your baby!," Tanya says, smilin' and pattin' her belly.

**A/Ns:**

**Jiff**: Hello, there! Are you still with us? We FINALLY post a chapter this week and we leave you with a cliffie like that? Good thing we're gonna post the next chapter soon, right, JK?

**Jenny Kate**: Yes! And by "soon" we don't mean next week! Swearsies!

**Jiff**: Absolutely! I, for one, can't wait to find out more about this baby-business and TFD! Can you believe the nerve of that woman, showing up to Alice and Jasper's wedding with that kind of news?

**Jenny Kate**: Actually, YES! Crazy bitch is crazy! I can't wait to find out about all this baby daddy business either. Man, I hope SoCo updates again soon! Oh, wait...that's us. Damn, Jiff, we've gotta get our act together. Looks like some all-nighters are in our future.

**Jiff**: Umm, we do that any way, remember? Besides, _technically_, we already know what's gonna happen...we just have to write it! *turns on coffee pot* JK, you were sick for our last post. Are you feeling better now?

**Jenny Kate: ***holds cup out for a refill* I am feeling much better! Thanks for all of the well wishes! I finally feel like I can breathe and my head is unclogged. Makes writing a lot easier!

**JIff**: I bet! I'm glad you are feeling better, too! I didn't like my JK being sick at all! Especially since I couldn't cook you chicken noodle soup or rub Vicks Vapor Rub on your chest, I mean, feet!

**Jenny** **Kate**: Face it, you just like my boobs. ;)

**Jiff**: This is true. You've got a great rack! Before we sign off, we received some awesome news today that we are excited to share with you. Southern Comfort is on the Fictionator's "What's Pwning You?" Poll of the Week! If you feel like it, click on the link and vote for your favorite fic, even if it's not ours. ;-)  pwn-of-the-week/whats-pwning-you-june-2012/ Thanks to Darcy Knightley for the nomination and review! What are you rec'ing this week, JK?

**Jenny Kate**: This week I'm rec'ing _**No Ordinary Proposal **_by **TwiLover76.** We also want to thank TwiLover76 for rec'ing us on her update last week!

**Jiff**: Yes! And, hello, to our new readers that took her advice and found us! Welcome to the crazy! This week I am rec'ing the latest two fics by **Cosmogirl7481**. _**Dear Veronica**_ is still updating a few times each week and _**Adult Book Store**_ is a short fic that she posted over 2 days.

Thanks to Twifanmom for beta-ing for us! Oh, and my husband, too! LOL See y'all soon!


	23. Takin' Care of Business

**Disclaimer: We do not own Twilight. We do own some half-empty bottles of Southern Comfort. This chapter is brought to you by drunkie Jiff and Jenny Kate. It has not been beta'd. All mistakes are our own. We won't keep you waiting any longer. See ya down south!**

* * *

**Previously...**

**(EPOV)**

"_You wouldn't let her hit a pregnant lady would you, Eddie?"_

_It takes a second for what she just said to register, but Bella stops trying to get around me and I just stand there staring at Tanya._

"_Yeah, Edward, that's right. I'm pregnant. You're going to be a dad and we belong together. I know family is important to you. You wouldn't want our child growing up without a family, would you?..."_

_She's keeps talking, but I stop her. "Back the fuck up, Tanya. What the hell are you sayin'?"_

_I feel a dozen sets of eyes on me. Our altercation has drawn an audience._

"_I'm sayin' that I'm pregnant with your baby!," Tanya says, smilin' and pattin' her belly. _

Her actions remind me of Bella from the other night at the karaoke bar. Seeing Bella gesture to her stomach and rappin' that she wanted my baby made me so happy, but this, this is somethin' entirely different.

Oh, god, Bella. I turn around to see her standing there, her eyes spanning from me to Tanya and back to me. Her face is full of questions and doubts. I can see it all over her.

I turn back around to Tanya and I am pissed. "What do you mean you're havin' my baby? We haven't been together in months and I _always_ used a condom!" If we're airin' our dirty laundry, might as well put all on the line.

"Oh, Eddie, you silly boy! Condoms aren't 100% effective, ya know," she giggled. My stomach is in knots and she's fuckin' giggling!

I look back at Bella and her face breaks my heart. She looks pissed, confused, and hurt and it's all my fault. "Baby, I'm so sorry about this. I promise I'm gonna figure all this out." I reach out to grab her hand, but she pulls away from me.

Bella looks up at me with tears in her eyes. "I-I-I have to get out of here. I just need some space right now," she says, before running off the dance floor and into the house.

Fuck.

I'm at war with my body right now. I want to run after Bella and do whatever I have to do to make all of this better, but I know I need to honor her wishes and give her space. I don't know how long I can let her be but I do know that I need answers from Tanya. Right fuckin' now.

"Tanya, if I find out that you are lyin' about bein' pregnant, so help me..."

"So, help you, what, Eddie? What are you gonna do? Why would I lie about somethin' as important as a baby? Don't you see that this is proof that we are meant to be together? We're gonna be a family!"

(BPOV)

No, no, no, no, no. This cannot be happening! Not now. Not when everything in my life is finally coming together and I'm the happiest I've ever been.

I run inside the house, automatically heading to the room I've been sharing with Edward the past couple of weeks. When I get to the opened door and see our bed, I stop. I can't be in here. Not right now. Everything in here reminds me of him and smells like him. I can't clear my head in here.

Shit.

I turn around and find the stairs, running up them and into the room I stayed in during my first visit to the plantation. I close the door behind me and throw myself on the bed. Tears are falling down my cheeks and I make no move to wipe them away, just letting them soak the pillow.

There are so many thoughts and emotions flowing through me right now my mind can't keep up. How can this be? Tanya fucking Denali pregnant? With Edward's baby?

I grab the pillow, stuff my face into it, and scream for all I'm worth. I scream until my throat is sore and my voice sounds like I swallowed sand paper. When I am calm down enough to think straight, I enter the bathroom and wash my face, cleaning off the evidence of my breakdown. Sitting back down on the bed, I start to think things through.

A baby. There is going to be a baby in our lives. A baby that is Edward's, but not mine. My heart breaks a bit after realizing I won't be the one and only woman to have his child. I know Edward. He will want to take care of his child and I would never ask him not to. He's the best man I know; he's loyal and loving and deserves to know this baby and hJelp raise it. What really pisses me off is that we are now stuck with Tanya in our lives. My stomach turns at the idea of spending birthdays and holidays with her from now on.

I take a deep breath then let it out, feeling somewhat better about the situation. I need to get back outside and see how Edward is holding up. I'm sure it hurt him when I ran, but I just couldn't stand there and watch Tanya rub her flat stomach any longer.

Hold the phone. Tanya still has a flat stomach. Just how far along is she claiming to be, I wonder. Edward and I have been together over a month, now and I remember Edward telling me he hasn't slept with Tanya in months. So, if she really is pregnant, and the baby is really Edward's, she would certainly be showing by now, right?

Something smells fishy around here and I'm thinking it's more than just Tanya's crotch.

I straighten the bed back up and take off running again, this time to find Edward and tell him of my suspicions.

When I get back outside, I see that Edward and Tanya are exactly where I left them. Even the wedding guests are still watching. The only difference is that Esme is now involved. In fact, she is right up in Tanya's face, and by the looks of things, she is telling her off. I can't hear what she is saying yet, but I can see Esme's finger pointing and poking, all up in Tanya's personal space.

"Listen, here, Missy! If my son says there is no way he can be the father of your baby, then it's the truth! And, you can bet your trashy ass, we're doing a paternity test as soon as you deliver," Esme yells at her.

When I walk up to them, Edward immediately looks at me, grabs my hand, and pulls me off to the side.

"Baby, are you okay? Are you mad at me?" His beautiful green eyes look so sad and that makes me feel terrible for running off the way I did.

I place my hand on his cheek and step up on the tips of my toes to kiss his lips. I feel his body relax from my touch. "No, Edward, I'm not mad at you. I'm sorry I ran off like that. I just needed some space to think and process things."

"And?" He whispers, looking unsure of the situation. I want to put him at ease and let him know that I'm not going anywhere. Baby or no baby...Tanya fucking Denali or no Tanya fucking Denali...I'm here to stay.

"I'm not going anywhere, Edward. If this baby is yours, then I'll love it like its my own, too."

Edward's face breaks out into a huge smile and he hugs me so hard, he lifts me off the ground. "Thank you, Bella. Thank you so much for supporting me. I love you so much."

"Excuse me? Sorry to interrupt your little love-fest, but did I just hear you say you'll love MY baby like it's YOURS? If Eddie wants to have anything to do with OUR baby, he's gonna have to dump your ass," Tanya starts yelling at us. "You can just go back to your fancy city and steal someone else's man!"

I start grabbing for my earrings again when Edward pulls me behind him. "Tanya, you can't stop me from seeing the baby. If I'm the father, I have rights to it just like you do. If you're not careful, I'll sue you for full custody. Everyone knows you're not fit to be a mother."

The look on Tanya's face is priceless. Her mouth is hanging open and her eyes are wide and glassy from the tears that are threatening to fall.

"Did you really think that this would break up me and Edward? Are you that desperate, Tanya?"

She doesn't give me a true answer, she just stammers a bit, like her mental keyboard is stuck on one letter.

"Wow, you really are dumber than a 5-pound bag of stupid!" I exclaim.

The next thing I hear is a scream coming from Esme. "Ahhh! Bella! You just said your first Southern sayin'! And, what a mighty fine one to start with, Honey! Edward! Carlisle! Did y'all hear that?" I can't help but laugh until I notice that Esme is sniffling. Again.

"Esme, are you alright? Are you crying?"

She quickly wipes her eyes. "Oh, it's nothing, Sweetie. I'm just so proud of you...and happy for you...and for Edward..." She is full-on crying now. Carlisle wraps his arm around her shoulder and starts to guide her away. I hear her mumble something about "hormones" before she yells out again, turning back to us. "Wait! I don't know why I didn't think of this in the first place, but before we start discussin' DNA tests and custody rights, I think Tanya needs to prove she's pregnant in the first place!"

"What, do you want me to get a note from my doctor right now?" Tanya is laughing, but it's not a real laugh. It's more like a crazy-person laugh. A crazy-person-who-is-so-busted kind of laugh, in fact.

Esme is calm again, with no trace of tears on her face. "No. I just happen to have a pregnancy test in my bathroom that you can take."

What the hell?

It takes a second for everyone to wrap their brains around what Esme just said, but soon enough, Tanya is protesting and trying to get off the dance floor. Esme grabs her arm and starts pulling her to the house.

"Don't you start crawfishin', Girlie! You are gonna pee on that stick even if I have to sit on you and squeeze your bladder with my bare hands!" As they stumble their way to the house, I can hear Esme ranting about "showin' up at my house, ruinin' a weddin', and tryin' to trap my son" and I start giggling. But, then I remember that this is Alice and Jasper's wedding and it's probably ruined now.

I look over at the newlyweds. "Alice. Jazz. I'm sorry this happened on your special day."

Alice looks at me like I'm crazy. "Are you kidding? That was hysterical! Come on, I want to see Esme sit on Tanya and make her piss herself!"

Alice grabs my hand and we run into the house, with Edward and Jasper on our flanks.

I assume that Esme took Tanya to her bathroom, so we head toward Esme and Carlisle's bedroom. I can hear her before we get there. "You'll march your ass in there and pee on that stick!"

"I'm callin' the police. This has to be harassment or somethin' like that!"

"I'd let you call, but then I'd have to report that you're trespassin' on private property; and I'm not lettin' you leave here until you pee on this stick!"

We walk in as Esme is pushing Tanya in the bathroom, shoving the pregnancy test in her hand, and slamming the door in her face. She turns around and leans against the door with her arms crossed, and a look of determination on her face.

"Well, what's a weddin' without a little family drama, right?" Esme says, when she sees the four of us walk through the door.

We all just stand there, not knowing what to say.

I don't know what everyone else is feeling right now, but I am a bundle of nerves. I'm pretty sure that I've done the math right in my head. There is no way that Tanya could be pregnant, at least not with Edward's baby. Edward could be the spokesperson for Trojans. We haven't even had unprotected sex, and I'm on the pill.

But I'll feel a whole hell of a lot better if that stick shows a negative or one line or whatever indicates that you're not pregnant. I wouldn't know. I've never had to use one. I've always been religious about taking my birth control. I've never missed a pill a day in my life since I started taking them and that was over a decade ago.

Minutes feel like hours, as we all stand there staring at the door, waiting for Tanya to come out. Edward reaches over and lightly takes my hand. I look over, but he has his head down and he's running his other hand through his hair. I give his hand a light squeeze and he looks up at me. I whisper, "I love you". He gives me a relieved smile and pulls me close to him. "I love you, too," he says, as he kisses my hair, "so much". He lets out a deep sigh and the door to the bathroom opens.

Tanya walks out of the bathroom and shoves the pregnancy test into Esme's hand, as she stomps toward door.

"Where do you think you're goin'?"

Tanya whips her head back around and says, "I'm leavin'! This is stupid. Those tests aren't even accurate...it even says so on the box!"

I see Esme staring down at the stick in her hand and a sly smile coming across her face.

"Well, Tanya, there are plenty where this came from. You can sit in that damn bathroom all night peein' on sticks, but I'll bet the farm that every one of them turn out just like this!" She holds up the negative pregnancy test in Tanya's face.

"Edward, tell them that you love me! Tell them that we have something special!" She turns toward Edward and begins pleading with him.

Edward starts walking closer to where Tanya and Esmer are standing and calmly says, "I've never loved you, Tanya. If I would have known that you thought we were more than just friends, I would have ended it a long time ago. I'm with Bella. She's my life now. I love her more than anything, and nothing you say or do is going to change that."

"You know what we had was special! I don't understand why you're throwin' it all away on this piece of..."

Before another word can come out of Tanya's mouth Esme slaps her right across her face.

Tanya's hand flies to her cheek and she lets out a growl. "You bitch! I hate this damn family!" She turns around and makes a run for the door. I step in front of her, blocking her exit. She is not going to get by with that! "And you," she glares at me, "you need to go back to New York where you belong!" She starts to point her finger into my chest and I grab her hand. "You'll never be able to satisfy Edward! He'll be back in my bed before the rooster crows!" She reaches back and slaps me across my cheek, before I have a chance to react. I immediately feel the burn set in. "You can pass that on to her," pointing back at Esme. "And you can all go to hell!" She turns around, running out of the bedroom.

Oh, hell no.

I hear Edward behind me, but I don't wait for anyone else to say or do anything. I take off down the hall after her. When I get to the kitchen, I ditch my shoes; and by the time I hit the back door, I'm at a full on sprint. I catch up to her just as she clears the corner of the house. She hears me behind her and starts running so, I reach out and grab her hair, pulling her back.

"AGGHH! You fuckin' whore!" She screams at me, as she turns around. I don't give her a chance to say anything else. I pull back and punch her square on the mouth.

Her head flies back and when she looks back up at me, I can see that I busted her lip. It's bleeding and she wipes it on the back of her hand. "You hit me? You made my lip bleed!"

I rub my knuckles, because they hurt like hell; but it was totally worth it.

Breathing out heavily, I tell her "That's for coming out here and causing trouble on my best friend's wedding day! And for trying to make Edward believe that you're pregnant with his baby! It's for thinking that you could break the two of us up and for being delusional enough to think that Edward still wants you! You have no rights to Edward! He is not yours! HE. IS. MINE. The sooner you get that through your over-bleached-blonde-head, the better off you're going to be. If you ever come near us again, trying to start shit, I will personally kick your ass!"

As I'm thinking of all the trouble she has caused, I get the urge to hit her again. I take a deep breath, trying to gain my composure and I see that one of Esme's large manure piles for fertilizing her plants is right behind her. So instead of hitting her, I push her as hard as I can and she tumbles back into the pile of shit. "And that is for calling Mama Esme a bitch. Nobody, and I mean, nobody, disrespects her. Got it?"

I turn around to walk back toward the house. I could really care less how she gets out of the shit pile or _if_ she gets out of the shit pile. She could rot there for all I care. Edward, Esme, Jasper, and Alice are all standing there watching me.

Edward pulls me up to him. His hand immediately goes to my cheek where Tanya slapped me. I see Edward glare over my shoulder at her, as she scrambles to her feet and hauls ass. He wraps his arms around me, as we walk back to the house. "Are you, OK," he asks.

"Yeah, but my hand hurts like hell." Edward takes my hand in his and starts inspecting my knuckles.

"Alice, I'm sorry for ruining your reception."

"Bella, that was the shit! I mean, I always knew you had it in you, but I have never seen you do anything like that before!" She says, grinning from ear to ear. "It was the best entertainment I could ask for at my wedding. We could have done without Skankalicious trying to claim that she was carrying the Golden Child, but you were amazing!"

"Yeah, totally hot, Bella," Jasper chimes in. "You kicked her ass!"

"Damn it," Emmett exclaims, as he walks up to us. "I always miss the good stuff! Rose and I were decorating Jasper's car. By the time I got in the house, Tyler said he saw Bella chasing Tanya out of the house! Then, I miss Bella making her boxing debut? It's not fair!"

We all just start laughing hysterically.

"I'm going to get you some ice for your hand," Edward says, turning around and walking to the house.

"Alice, are you about ready to blow this joint and get this honeymoon started?" Jasper waggles his eyebrows at Alice.

"Take me to bed or lose me forever," Alice says, as she throws herself into Jasper's arms.

We all gather out by the front drive and see the two lovebirds off. Rose and Emmett tied cans to the back of Jasper's car, as well as, glued condoms blown up like balloons to the car's antenna. The passenger side window has "Jasper's Shawty" written on it with white shoe polish and the driver's side window says "Alice's Boo". Jasper will be doing good to see out of the window to drive down the road. Thank goodness they're staying the night at his house, before flying out in the morning.

After we see them off and the remaining guests leave, the rest of us go back in the house and sit down around the bar in the kitchen eating leftover wedding cake. Thanks to the Tanya debacle, none of us had a chance to have a piece.

I overhear Edward whispering to Emmett, "She had a pregnancy test...and not just one. Why the hell would she have a pregnancy test?"

Esme walks into the kitchen, carrying a plate of food from outside.

"Ma, why the hell did you have pregnancy tests? What would you need them for?"

"Well, Emmett," Esme says, turning to look at him. "I guess I need them for what every other woman needs them for, to see if I was pregnant!"

"Yeah, but, why would you need to know if you're pregnant? That hasn't been an issue for a while, right?" Emmett looks at Esme, with a confused expression on his face.

"It may be a surprise to you, but your father and I still have sex. Lots of sex."

"MA! You're killin' me! You can't say stuff like that!"

"How in the hell do you think you and Edward got here, Emmett? There was only one immaculate conception, and I hate to break it to you, it wasn't you."

"Damn it, Ma!"

"Emmett, do not use that sort of language with your mama," Carlisle says. "She's been going through some female problems lately. In case you haven't noticed, we've been usin' up a lot of Kleenex around here."

"A month or so ago, I thought I might be pregnant. So, I bought a few pregnancy tests. Turns out I'm goin' through menopause. Is that a good enough explanation for you, Emmett?"

"You're not old enough for menopause. That's like for old people, right?"

"So, first you're havin' a conniption fit over me havin' sex and bein' pregnant; and now you're in disbelief that I could be goin' through menopause? I think it's time for us all to go to bed. There has been a little too much excitement for one day," Esme says, as she turns around and starts washing the dishes in the sink.

Emmett walks over and gives his mom a hug. "I'm sorry, Ma. I didn't mean to freak out on you."

"It's ok, Emmett. I love you. Now, get goin'. Rose will be worried about you." She kisses him on his cheek.

"See ya tomorrow, Tyson."

Emmett walks by Edward, and gives him a pat on the back. Edward is still chuckling over Emmett's verbal vomit. He has no filter. He just says whatever comes into that brain of his.

"Bella, you ready for bed?' Edward asks, from his spot at the bar.

"I'm going to help you mom finish up with these dishes, and then I'll be ready." I start drying the dishes Esme has washed.

"Ok, well, how about I go make you a bath?"

I blush a little, even though I have my back to him. The way he just said that and the fact that he asked me in front of his mom is enough to make my cheeks flush, but I would never turn him down.

"A bath sounds nice." I hear Edward walk out of the kitchen, leaving just me and Esme.

"He's wonderful. Thank you for raising such an amazing son." I think Emmett is rubbing off on me. I say that without even thinking about it first.

"Thank you for making my son so happy."

"I appreciate you standing up for me this evening."

Esme dries her hands off on a towel, and turns toward me, putter her hands on my shoulders. "Thank you for doing the same. That's what family is for, Sweetie. I'll always be in your corner." She pulls me into an Esme hug, and I melt into her embrace, returning the gesture.

After a minute or so, she pulls back and looks me in the eye, "I think you've got a date with a bathtub." She raises an eyebrow suggestively. Esme is just like her boys...or her boys are just like her.

"Good night."

"Good night, Bella. Sweet dreams."

I walk into the bedroom and the smell of lavender is filtering in. I go ahead and start undressing as I make my way toward the bathroom, leaving a trail of clothes along the way. When I walk into the bathroom, the lights are out and Edward has lit candles all around the room. The bathtub is full of bubbles and he is leaning back against one end with his eyes closed.

I quietly slip in, leaning up against Edward's chest. His arms come up around me, and I feel the stress from the day wash away.

"That was quite some weddin', huh?"

"Is the South always so dramatic?"

"It is in these parts...I think it's the humidity. It makes people crazy."

"I can handle crazy. I can handle anything as long as it includes you."

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**A/Ns:**

**Jenny Kate**: Sooooooo, what'd y'all think? *hides behind Jiff*

**Jiff**: Why are you hiding? We gave them what they wanted! Bella gave TFD the big smack-down! And so did Esme! Don't be skeered...I'm sure everyone loved it!

**Jenny Kate**: I just worry! I hope everyone liked it. Damn, that felt good to put the hurt on TFD!

**Jiff**: I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief and dismount our posse. Does that sound too nasty?

**Jenny Kate: ** Did you forget who you're talking to? Bwahahahaha. So, I know everyone was worried about some major drama goin' down, but you can all rest easy. We had no intentions of making the TFD Debacle into a huge ordeal. We were just keepin' things spicy.

**Jiff**: Spicy like Cajun food...like the spicy Zapps chips I brought home from La. Yummm. Ok, moving on... Thank you all so much for the amazing reviews! We have had so much fun reading them today. I think we had more for this chapter than any other! I love reading your comments, so please keep them coming. Don't forget to chat with us on Twitter and FB too!

**Jenny Kate**: YES! You guys have totally rocked our world with your reviews and alerts! This is seriously gone beyond anything we dreamed or imagined! So, thank you for loving SoCo! Don't forget to stop by The Ficitonators and vote for us on the Pwn of the Week poll!

**Jiff**: Whew! My SoCo Hurricane is giving me a headache...think we should post now?

**Jenny Kate**: Yep, my SoCo and Coke is makin' me sleepy! I think it's time to push "publish". Oh, one last thing. We know we never mentioned birth control before. It's just not something we ever felt like writing into our lemons...kind of a mood killer. So, we hope we cleared up any questions you might have had about that with this chapter. If you still have thoughts on it, feel free to talk to us in the reviews or find us on Twitter/FB! We're always up for discussing SoCo!


	24. These Arms of Mine

**Disclaimer: Here we are still not owning Twilight. However, we both own some kick-ass Twi-merchandise that we keep on display in our various shrines. Just ask MelFin80. We also have some kickass Tab Benoit music playin' on our iPods tonight.**

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**(EPOV)**

I reach up and lightly stroke Bella's hair. It's the middle of the night, but I can't sleep. I just need to soak up as much of her as I can. She's leaving to go back to New York in the morning and my heart hurts every time I think about it. I know this is a necessary step in the process. She has to go back and close her ties there. She has to move out of her apartment and say 'good-bye' to people; but I wish she never had to leave. I'm so selfish. I just want her all to myself. Forever.

I offered to go with her, but she said that this is something she needs to do alone. She also has a few job offers that have come in since she's been here these last couple of weeks. I joked around and told her that she didn't have to work anymore if she didn't want to. I'm glad I remembered to tell her I was just kidding, because she was starting to get pissed off. Bella is adorable when she is mad, but I don't need her mad at me. I know she wants to work. She needs to work. Taking photographs and using her creative mind is her passion. I would never stop her from doing what she loves. So, when she goes back to pack up her apartment, she's planning on taking a couple of assignments before she makes Louisiana her permanent state of residence.

The only positive out of her absence is that I'll be able to finish the reconstruction of the cottage while she's away, without her knowing. The old cottage was demolished last week while we were doing wedding planning and taking the trip to New Orleans. I really want to save the new one for a surprise. Her birthday is coming up in about five weeks and I would love to reveal it to her then. It should be perfect timing.

I'm going to miss her so damn much.

My throat tightens and I feel my eyes moisten just thinking about her not being here.

My lips find her shoulder and I place light kisses down her back. I love how she sleeps with her arms tucked under her head and her hair fanned out across the pillow. She looks lovely in the pale moon light that is coming through the window. She squirms a little as I make my way down to the waistline of her panties.

Ever since the Tanya debacle a few days ago, I've been wanting to do something with Bella. Something that I haven't ever done with anyone else. I know that I want everything with Bella; marriage, kids, I want it all. I want to be with her forever. And I don't want to hold anything back from her...or us. I've always been so cautious about my sexual relationships. I knew that if a baby ever resulted from any of them, I would be tied to that person for the rest of my life. So, even when women told me that they were on the pill, I still used protection. I've never had sex with anyone without it, but I want to with Bella. If a baby resulted from it, I'd be the happiest person on the face of the earth. I want her to know that...I need her to know that. I can't let her leave without showing her how I feel about her...that I want forever with her.

Bella moves a little more. I can tell that I'm waking her up with my kisses and touches. I should feel bad, but I don't. I need her.

"Bella," I whisper in her ear.

"Hmmmmm," she hums back at me.

"I want you, baby. I need you."

She rolls over a little and looks up at me with sleepy eyes. Her lips creep up into a small smile.

"What are you doing awake?"

"It's our last day together and I don't want to waste any of our time."

She laughs a little. "It's not even day time yet."

"I know, but there's something I want to tell you."

"What is it? You can tell me anything."

"I just want you to know that I want everything with you...I don't ever want to hold anything back from you."

"Ok, Edward. I feel the same. You know that." She puts her hands on my face and runs her thumbs over my cheeks.

"I know, baby. I know."

I kiss her lips and she turns her head to the side, granting me entrance. Our tongues begin to mingle as the kiss deepens. Pulling her closer to me, she moans into my mouth. If my cock wasn't awake before, it definitely is now. I shift her on top of me, letting her feel what she does to me.

She pulls on my hair, bringing me as close as she can. I run my hands down the side of her body, hooking my fingers into her lace panties and sliding them off, as I go down her legs. Rolling over on top of Bella, I pull her panties the rest of the way off and slide them under my pillow. I think I need to keep those while she's gone. I run a finger down her slit and feel her wetness. She's always ready for me.

"I love how you're so wet for me, baby. I need to be inside of you."

Without words, she spreads her legs, inviting me in. She is propped up on her elbows and nipping at my neck. The feel of her breath on my chest is only intensifying my want and desire for her.

I spit on my hand and run it up and down the length of my cock.

She places a hand on my chest and then tips my chin down so that we are eye to eye.

The look on her face is questioning. I know that she knows.

"Are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life," I say, as I slowly push into her.

Fuck.

The feeling is beyond anything that I've ever felt before. Having sex with Bella has always been amazing. I feel more with her than I have ever felt with anyone else; but this is different. This is warm and tight and home. My emotions are all over the place, as I thrust into her.

"Oh, my god, Edward. I...I've...Ugghhhhh."

Bella's words almost send me over the edge, so I slow back down and pace myself. I want this to last forever.

"So good...so good...I...I...I had no idea," she trails off, as she begins to chant my name again.

"You feel incredible, baby. So fucking good."

Bella pushes lightly on my shoulder. "Switch places with me."

I roll onto my back, taking Bella with me, never breaking contact. The sight of her above me, while feeling her move around me, is euphoric. I could stay like this for the rest of my life. She begins to move her hips in a rhythmic motion and I let her take over for a while.

Gripping onto her hips, I help her create more friction, bringing her closer to her release. Her mouth drops open and she leans forward on my chest for support, throwing her head back. I can feel her walls tighten around my cock, so I know she's getting close. I slid my hand in between us and find her clit, giving her what she needs to fall over the edge. Watching Bella come is a beautiful sight to behold. Her movements slow, as she rides out her orgasm. I pull her down to me, so that she's lying on my chest.

"That was amazing," she whispers against my chest.

"You are amazing."

She looks up at me and bites her lip. I run my fingers through her hair at the nape of her neck and pull her mouth back to mine. Once I feel her body relax, I start pushing into her again, groaning at the sensation.

Bella pulls on my bottom lip with her teeth before sitting straight up on me. I grab onto her incredible ass and start moving her up and down my cock. Making love to Bella without any barrier between us is such an intense feeling; I don't think I can hold off much longer. I pick up my pace and watch, mesmerized, as her tits bounce to the rhythm of my thrusting.

Bella's eyes are closed as she grabs onto her breasts. Seeing her touch herself like that is so sexy. When she starts pinching her nipples, my mouth starts watering, wanting to taste them immediately. Trying not to slow my pace too much, I sit up with her, wrapping one arm around her waist. She places her hands on my shoulders, as I push one of her tits to my mouth.

Bella is everywhere. She is on my cock, in my mouth, and in my heart. I feel like my heart will burst out of my chest at any moment. The feeling is too much and not enough all at the same time. I come out of my Bella-haze when I hear her start to moan and say my name.

"Baby, can you come again?"

"Yes, Edward. I'm so close. Don't stop."

I wrap my arms around her back and place my hands on her shoulders, holding her to me as she starts bouncing faster. My eyes are closed tightly and I have sweat running down my face when I feel a delicate hand on my cheek.

"Edward. Look at me."

I open my eyes and I see my whole life right in front of me. My Bella. I feel the burning deep in my stomach and I know I can't hold back any longer.

Bella muffles her screams into my shoulder as her pussy clamps down on my cock, sending my orgasm into overdrive. Feeling her pulse around me as I explode inside of her only prolongs my orgasm until I am a shuddering mess wrapped in Bella's arms.

A sniffling sound pulls me back to reality and I quickly move Bella's damp hair away from her face.

"Did I hurt you? Baby, I'm so sorry..."

"No, no, you didn't hurt me. It was perfect. Too perfect. I've never experienced anything like that before and I couldn't control my emotions."

I wipe the tear that has fallen from her beautiful eyes and gently kiss her lips before saying with all of the conviction I have in my body, "I feel the same, Bella. This is it. You and me. No looking back."

"I'm going to miss you so much, Edward. How will we make it these next few weeks?"

I lay back down and pull Bella into my side, not wanting to let go of her for a second. "We'll make it because we're not going to let anything or anyone keep us from our future together. I know it will be hard, but this is something we have to do. I promise, I'll visit when I can. And, of course, there's always phone sex," I say, grinning at her.

**BPOV**

I can't believe it's already been a whole week since I left Louisiana and Edward. I thought this time would drag by, but it's gone surprisingly fast so far. I've been so busy, trying to find someone to lease my apartment and getting all of my personal affairs in order for when I make the move.

One thing I knew I needed to do when I got back was sit down with my dad. I called him the day after I returned and asked if we could get together to talk. I want to get things back to the way they used to be between us.

Edward hasn't proposed or anything, but I plan on marrying him; and I want my dad walking me down the aisle when I do. One thing I've learned the last couple of months is that life is too short to hold grudges and be mad at the people you love. I don't want there to be any bad feelings between us.

I took a local job late last week photographing the Mayor's daughter's wedding and the photographs are being published in a few big name magazines. Since I haven't worked much in the last month, I had dipped into my savings account a little. So, I really needed that job to build it back up. I like being independent and having my own money, and I don't want that to change when I move.

I know Edward likes taking care of me. I like it too. But I feel good knowing that I'll be able to be an equal partner in things we buy together. I tried talking to him about him selling the cottage, but he didn't want to talk about it. I just can't imagine us living there after everything that happened. I guess that's something we'll deal with when I'm living there permanently. I know we'll be welcome at the plantation as long as we need to be there. It feels so good to have family...like a real family, that eats together and plays together. It's something I've always dreamed of and now it's within my reach. I don't know if Edward even realizes how happy and complete he makes my life. I try to tell him, but it's so hard to put into words.

My phone rings, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Hello."

"Bells?"

"Hey, Dad."

"Are we still on for tonight?"

"Of course."

"Just making sure. So, I'll see you at seven, then?"

"Yes, see ya then."

I can tell that he's really trying to accept all of the new changes in my life and I love him for it. I know it's hard for him; and after learning about Billy, I understand his hesitancy with the south. I'm just hoping after he meets Edward and the Cullens that he'll see that everyone down there isn't so bad. In fact, they're good...really really good.

As I stand back and look around my apartment, I see all of the boxes stacked up waiting on the moving truck. It doesn't even feel like my space anymore. Everything that would let someone know that I live here is packed up, except for a few clothes and personal items. I left a black and white picture of Edward out, because I can't be in a space where he isn't at least represented. I need him more than I need the oxygen I breathe.

At that thought, my chest feels tight. I feel so homesick.

Picking up my phone, I hit Edward's number. Five seconds later, his sweet voice is coming through my phone and I feel instantly better.

"Hello, Beautiful."

"I miss you."

"I can be there in five hours."

"Don't tease me like that."

"You know I'm serious."

"I know. I just needed to hear your voice. I miss you so bad, it hurts."

"Let's not talk about how bad we miss each other, because I really will be on a plane headed your way. I love you so much, baby."

"I love you too. I don't know how I'm going to make it another three weeks."

"It's going to go by fast. You're going to be so busy with your assignments, you'll lose track of time. Besides, you'll be leaving New York next week."

"I know. I really wish I was heading straight for Louisiana, but I need to do these jobs. They're both something I've wanted to do for a while; and I could really use the money back in my savings account."

"Don't worry about that stuff."

"I'm not."

"I know, but I want to take care of you...you know that. So, only take jobs because it makes you happy."

"I am. I've gotta go. I'm meeting my dad for dinner in an hour."

"Tell him I said 'hello' and I'm looking forward to meeting him."

"I will. Tell everyone there I said 'hey' and I love them."

"I will."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

An hour later, I'm walking into a restaurant around the corner from my apartment. Nostalgia hits me a little, and I realize that this will be the last time I eat here for a while...maybe ever. I need to remember to stop by and talk to Angela at Shades of Brown once last time. I'm really going to miss her.

"Hey, Dad!" I give him a big hug, as he stands up when I reach the table.

"Hello, Bells," he says, as he squeezes me extra tight. "I've missed you. You look wonderful, Sweetie."

"Thanks, Dad, so do you."

Our conversation flows easily and I feel like I'm twelve again and we're hanging out at a Yankees game. Just me and him. No distractions. No secrets. No lies. Just father and daughter. I'm so glad we've cleared the air between us and found a way to understand each other.

"I can't wait for you to meet Edward."

"This may sound crazy, but I'm looking forward to meeting him, too. If he makes you this happy," he says, as he motions toward me. "Then, I know I'll like him.. How could I not?"

"That makes me even more happy to hear you say that. You're the two most important men in my life. I want you to like each other."

"Don't worry about that, Bells. I would never do anything to come between you and your happiness. It's what has always been most important to me."

I know he means that in more ways than one.

We hug each other tight before parting ways. He sees me into a taxi, even though my apartment is just a few blocks away, and tells me to call him when I make it inside my apartment. I think to him, I'll always be twelve years old. We agree that he will make a trip to Louisiana soon to meet Edward and the rest of the Cullens. I can't wait for that.

******SoCo******

"I can't believe this is the last time I'm going to hold the door for you, Bella."

"Seth, please don't get all emotional on me." I give him a small smile. "I'm really going to miss you," I tell him, pulling him into a hug. Hugging Seth is like hugging Emmett...or an oak tree. They're huge and hard to wrap your arms all the way around. "Thanks for always being there, Seth. You've been more than just a doorman." I give him a sincere look and try not to let the waterworks start. I really do mean it. I'm going to miss him. He's one of the few people I'll miss in this city.

"Don't be a stranger, Bella. I really hope you're happy down south. Promise you'll stop by and visit anytime you're in the city?"

"I promise. Thank you for everything, Seth. Stay in touch, OK? And if you're ever, in Louisiana, look me up!" I smile and give him a big wave as I get into the taxi.

I watch the city pass me by, as the taxi makes its way to Shades of Brown. Alice is in town for a meeting and she agreed to meet me here today, so that I could see Angela one last time. Alice and I need to catch up. This is the first time I've seen her since the wedding.

Walking into the coffee shop, I see Alice waiting for me near the counter.

"Bella! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!"

"Well, thanks! You look great, too! Marriage looks good on you, Al." I hug my best friend tight, not wanting to let her go. She's the closest I've felt to home in over a week. Alice has let the south rub off on her so much, that she carries it with her wherever she goes now. I missed her crazy ass.

"How was Alaska?"

"It was gorgeous and cold, even in July. I must say that I started missing the heat though."

"Did you guys have a good time? Tell me all about it. What did you do?" I ask her, anxious to hear the details of her and Jasper's honeymoon.

"Well, a couple of days we just laid around like bumps on a log, just enjoying the down time. The rest of the time is was wonderful and adventurous. Jasper is so romantic." She gets a faraway look in her eyes.

We've made our way up to the counter to order and Angela is standing there just staring at us. A huge grin breaks out across her face. "I do declare!" Angela says, grasping her chest, like she's mimicking us.

Alice and I just laugh. "Angela! I haven't seen you in a coon's age!" Alice says, as she reaches across the counter and pulls Angela into a hug.

"A coon's what? What's a coon?" Angela has the most puzzled look on her face. I just shake my head and laugh.

"It's good to see you, Ang!"

"I can't believe you're leaving us, Bella."

"You should make a trip down south and visit sometime!"

"I'm kind of hoping I get an invite to a certain southern wedding." She raises an eyebrow at me suggestively.

"You're already on the guest list." Alice says, so nonchalantly.

"Is there something I should know?" Angela's eyes immediately go to my left hand. I hold it up so she can see that it is still bare, and nudge Alice with my elbow.

"Well," Alice continues, "it's going to happen and I just like to be prepared."

I just roll my eyes and order my drink.

We sit down at the table and wait on our drinks to be ready. Alice continues telling me about the gorgeous scenery and romantic gestures from her honeymoon. I'm totally engrossed in her story, when I suddenly hear a tiny little bark. I break away from Alice and peak my head under the table. I could have sworn that is where I heard the sound come from.

There it is again.

"Alice, I hate to interrupt, but I think your purse is barking." I sit back up in my seat. "Why the hell is your purse barking?"

"Oh! I almost forgot!" She reaches down and gingerly picks up her oversized purse. Unzipping it, she reveals the cutest little chihuahua I've ever seen. It's big ears are peaking out from the bag. "Bella, I'd like you to meet Tanqueray! She was a wedding gift from Jazzy! Isn't she cute?"

"Oh, my god, Alice. He bought you a dog? And you named it after a brand of gin?"

She laughs. "Yes and yes. I've been wanting one and he told me that when we have a house together he would buy me a dog, so that Hiriam would have a friend. He surprised me with her right before we left on our honeymoon. We took her with us to Alaska! Oh, and of course she had to be named after liquor. I couldn't let her feel left out!"

Of course, all of the dogs are named after alcohol.

"She's adorable."

"Thank you! She's practice."

"Practice for what?"

"A baby, silly!"

"ALICE! Are you pregnant?"

"NO! I'm just practicing." She looks up from the puppy and smiles at me.

"You know you can't just leave a baby in your purse, right?"

"I was just distracted! I would have eventually remembered that she was in there." Alice starts giving the puppy some love and talking in a baby voice to it.

Yeah, she'll be a good mom one of these days. It's probably a good thing she's practicing on a puppy, though.

My cheeks hurt from smiling back at her so much. I love seeing my best friend so happy...and in love. It's the second best feeling in the world.

First best feeling is being in love myself, of course.

I feel like I should go to church or something and give thanks for all the blessings in my life.

"You've gotta be shittin' me," Alice says, as she glances out of the window that we're sitting by.

"What?" I ask, following her line of sight across the street to a cafe. I see what took her by surprise. Jake and Leah are sitting at a table out on the sidewalk, right across the street.

Fuck my life.

Wasn't I just giving thanks for all of my blessings? I was really hoping to get out of New York without seeing Jake or ever thinking about him again.

Alice turns around with the mischievous look on her face that I know means she's up to no good.

"What?"

"I have an idea." Alice leans in and starts telling me her plan.

She's so evil. I love her.

We tell Angela goodbye, giving her hugs before we leave and promising to stay in touch. As we walk out the door, we go left instead of right, heading toward downtown.

When we get to the first street corner, Alice begins scanning the crowd until she finds what she's looking for. We walk toward the lady in six-inch platform sparkly silver stilettos. Wearing sparkly stilettos in the morning is a dead giveaway as to what your occupation is.

"I have a proposition for you," Alice says to her, as we walk up, "and we pay well."

"Well, well, well...this is my lucky day," she says, looking seductively between Alice and I.

Alice breathes out heavily, "Not us, you're not our type, but you see that guy sitting across the street at the corner table? He's with the lady in the brown dress, with the long black hair?"

"Yeah, what about him?"

"We'd like you to go over there and pretend you know him," Alice raises her eyebrows suggestively, "like know him, know him. You two are the best fuck buddies ever. Got it?"

"I'm gonna need a little more information."

"He's not very well endowed, if you get my drift," I speak up, "He always gets his first and he loves to cheat. How's that for information?"

She grins at us knowingly. "Plenty." She sticks out her hand for payment.

"Here's fifty bucks, and there will be an extra fifty where that came from if you make it good. I'd like to see some ass grabbing and if the bitch he's with leaves him sitting there, you'll get a bonus." Alice looks up at her, "We'll be sitting across at one of those tables outside the coffee shop. Come find us when you've completed your mission."

The hooker takes off across the street and Alice and I assume our positions back at the coffee shop, and wait for the show to start.

We see her as she approaches the cafe. She waits in the wings for a minute, accessing her task at hand. When she walks up, she drapes her arm around Jake's shoulder, whispering something in his ear. He removes her arm and backs up from her a little.

I can tell they are talking. Jake is using his hands a lot, like he always does when he's flustered. Leah has pushed her chair back from the table and has forcefully put her napkin on her plate, signaling that she's finished with her meal.

Jake stands up, throwing his hands in the air. Our girl takes advantage of the opportunity, and grabs his ass, as Alice instructed. Then, ups the ante and runs her hand around to the front, fondling his chest.

Leah stands up and is saying something to Jake. I wish we could hear their conversation, because she looks pissed. Then, she turns around and walks off.

Alice snort laughs, "Oh, she's good. She'll definitely be getting the bonus."

Sparkly Stilettos jay-walks across the street and walks up to our table. Alice gladly hands over the additional money that she had promised for a job well-done. When she leaves, Alice and I both look across the street to see Jake looking back at us. We both wave, and laugh hysterically, as we walk off.

Alice is catching a plane back to Baton Rouge today and I am taking a flight out to California for my first job, so we take a taxi back to my apartment building so that I can get my luggage. Soon after, we are heading to the airport together.

Saying goodbye to Alice this time isn't so bad. I know that we'll see each other in a couple of weeks and we'll only be living a few hours away from each other. Jasper kept his house in French Settlement, so I know that they'll be there a lot. It makes me feel good knowing I'll have her around.

******SoCo******

These last couple of weeks have been amazing, but also some of the longest weeks of my life.

I've stayed extremely busy with my assignments, so that's helped the time pass. When I left New York, I flew to San Francisco. I spent two days there taking pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge and the surrounding landscape. It was for an article in Real Simple. Alice was the one who got me that job. She knew I always wanted to come out to California. I have a fascination with Alcatraz, so I spent one afternoon taking the tour and documenting it with pictures. I can't wait to get home and have them developed.

Later in the week, I rented a car and started driving down the coast on the Pacific Coast Highway, all the way to Los Angeles. It felt good to just be out on the open road and completely independent. I would stop when I wanted, getting out to stretch my legs or just take a picture of a beautiful spot on the beach. As much as I missed Edward, I really enjoyed myself.

Yesterday, I flew into Seattle and rented a car, making my way down the 101 to the Hoh Rainforest. The tall trees and all of the green remind me of Louisiana. Everything is either green or brown here, except the sky and it's always grey.

If I wasn't homesick before, I definitely am now. I have a job to do, and that is the only thing keeping me from booking the next flight to Baton Rouge.

Edward was supposed to have come for a visit before I left New York, but he was busy with the restaurants and physical therapy. From what he's said, he's made good progress with his leg and is completely free from the cane. I know that makes him happy. He was so tired of Emmett's jokes and having to be dependent on it to get around.

I know the saying about distance making the heart grow fonder, but I've never believed it as much as I do right now.

My heart literally hurts every time I think about him. We've talked every day, usually twice a day. He likes me to call him once I'm in for the night, just to make sure I'm safe and sound. A while back, that would have totally pissed me off, but I love it. I love that he cares so much and needs to make sure I'm safe. If makes me feel protected and taken care of. It makes me feel loved.

I need him so bad right now.

I pick up the phone and make my night time call to him. Desperate to just hear his voice.

"Hey, baby." He says, picking up on the first ring.

"Hey."

"Everything ok?"

"I just miss you."

"I know. I miss you, too. Only 69 more hours."

I laugh a little into the phone. "We're counting hours now?"

"I've been counting the hours since the moment you left."

"I'm not sure I would have left, if I would have known I wasn't going to see you for four weeks. I never want to be away from you this long again."

We sit on the phone for a minute, neither of us saying anything, just listening to the other person breathe. I'm afraid to say anything, worried that my emotions will get the best of me.

Finally, I hear the words I need Edward to say. "Come home to me, Bella."

* * *

**A/Ns:**

**Jenny Kate: **So, there you have it...Bella has left New York.

**Jiff**: Yep, and poor CajunWard is so lonesome for her. Breaks my heart.

**Jenny Kate**: I think Bella's feelings are mutual. We've gotta get these two back together, but you know what that means, right?

**Jiff**: Umm...we have to write another chapter?

**Jenny Kate**: Yeah, but it also means that SoCo is coming to a close...*sniffles*

**Jiff**: I was afraid you were going to say that! Now, I haz a sadz.

**Jenny Kate**: Wow, this is getting depressing. Let's talk about something else. So, anybody seen Magic Mike? That's been my happy place this week. *ride it* *jump on it* I could watch Channing Tatum move like that all damn day. If that stage ever needed a break, I'd be more than happy to step in.

**Jiff**: I didn't want to see it at first but, now that you keep posting vids of that particular performance, I think I might have to! This way he moves those hips...hot damn!

**Jenny Kate**: Imagine what he could do with those hips in the bedroom...or the kitchen table...up against a wall...on the hood of a car...*plays video again*

**Jiff**: *fans self* Ok, where were we? My happy place this week has been in our reviews! You guise came out of the woodworks to celebrate Bella kicking azz and pushing TFD in the manure! We had so much fun reading each and every one of them. Here's the thing though: ffn has made some changes recently with how reviews are done. Now, when you send a review, if you don't login, it shows up as an anonymous review and we can't reply to it. We've had some great anon reviews and we'd love to be able to say thank you!

**Jenny Kate**: It actually kills us not to be able to reply to reviews! So, please log in! Thanks to all of you, our reviews have gone over 1000...something we never thought possible in the beginning. As a way to show you our appreciation, we are going to write an outtake for you guys! If you have something you'd like to read as an outtake, let us know in the reviews!

**Jiff's Fic Rec**: _**In the Waves**_ by **Jadalulu** ( jadapattinson). This is a WIP that I started today. I'm only 4 chapters in but I am really liking it so far. I love her writing style and it is un-betad, so it is all her. Plus, she updates every day or so!

**Jenny Kate's Fic Rec**: I don't have any this week...I'm reading what Jiff rec'd last week. We would like to remind you that SoCo is still up over at The Fictionators for Pwn of the Week. There are so many great fics rec'd over there! I'm sure you can find something that interests you! They even have the fics categorized by the "Ward"...maybe one of these days there will be a Cajunward category?

Hope everyone in the States has a **happy and safe 4th of July**! Hope everyone else has a happy Hump Day! Stop by and visit us on Twitter for some yummy Robp0rn!


	25. Home Sweet Home

**Disclaimer: For the last damn time, we do NOT own Twilight...or When Harry Met Sally...or any Motley Crue songs...or Princess Bride. Basically, we just own a swoony Cajunward and a sassy Chuckella. If you've missed out on the outtakes we've been posting for the last week or so, you can find them on our new story, An Extra Shot of SoCo. Soooooooooo, here it is, guys. The final chapter. We were too excited to post, so this hasn't been pre-read or beta'd. All mistakes are our own. We hope you enjoy.**

* * *

**(BPOV)**

I would run back to Louisiana, if I thought it would get me there faster.

Edward's words to me from two nights ago play over and over in my mind.

"_Come home to me, Bella."_

The strength it took for me to keep my ass in Forks, Washington was ridiculous. I didn't even know I had that kind of strength in me. I guess we never know what we're capable of until we're faced with certain circumstances. My whole relationship with Edward has been like that. He gives me so much strength and confidence in myself. That's what a relationship should be like. That's what a marriage should be like. I want to marry that man. If he doesn't ask me soon, I may have to pull an Alice.

As the plane takes off, I look out my window and see the immense forests and green that surrounds Seattle. The pang in my stomach isn't from the assent, it's from being home sick. I close my eyes and remind myself that the next time I see green, I'll be back in Louisiana. Only six more hours, now.

When I step off the plane in Baton Rouge, I feel lighter. It's reminiscent of my first trip to Baton Rouge. I wondered then what was making me feel lighter. I thought perhaps it was the change in latitude or getting out of New York. Now, I know that it was destiny...or fate...or whatever the hell you want to call it. It was an invisible force that was pulling me toward Edward.

What if I hadn't taken Alice's assignment that she offered me? Would I still have met the Cullens? I have to believe that I would have. I believe that when you're destined to be with someone, mountains will be moved for you to get to them. Call me a romantic, but it's what I really and truly believe. Maybe Alice has made me watch too many 80's rom coms. I miss her, too. I'm looking forward to seeing my family. _My family._ I have to repeat that over in my head, because it just feels good.

As I'm standing in baggage claim, waiting on my luggage, a sign with the word "Swan" catches my eye. That can't be for me again. The man holding the sign is standing over toward the exit door. Just about the time I start to take a second look, the bell dings to signal the luggage coming. Finally, the carousel starts moving and I see my suitcase making its' way around the bend.

Before I can grab my bag, someone else gets it for me. I hear a "Ms. Swan?" Turning around, I'm face to face with Tyler.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I squeal and throw my arms around his neck. He puts my bag down and returns the hug.

"Well, Edward got a little tied up, so he asked me to come and get you." His wide toothy grin is so good to see. "We've all missed you, Bella. Welcome home."

_Home._

That feels good, too. It feels right.

I'm glad to see Tyler, but I really need to see Edward. I need to see him like I need my next breath. It's essential to my well-being.

Tyler sees the disappointment wash across my face.

"Hey, don't give me those sad puppy dog eyes. He'll be there waitin' on ya. I promise."

"Of course," I try to shrug it off, but I'm not fooling anyone. "I'm sure he's busy. And don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see you." I give him a small smile, because I am genuinely happy to see him.

When we get to the car, I feel my body tingle as it senses Edward getting closer. "Let's get the hell outta here, Tyler! Drive as fast as you can. I'll pay the ticket if we get pulled over." I look at him and let him know how serious I am about it.

He gives me a smirk and pulls out of the airport. "As you wish."

**(EPOV)**

Come on, come on, COME ON!

Shit. I really need to calm the fuck down before Mama yells at me for wearing down a path on her hardwood floors from all of the pacing I'm doing. I stop to look out of the front window for what is probably the 100th time in the last 10 minutes, pulling on my hair when I see that Bella still hasn't arrived.

Where the hell is Tyler and why isn't he answering his phone? He was supposed to pick Bella up at the airport and drive her to the plantation. Simple as that. No stops. Nothing. They should have been here 5 minutes ago. Or was it closer to 3? Doesn't matter. Bella has been gone for 5 weeks and it's not enough that she is finally breathing Louisiana air now. She needs to be here...with me.

I wonder if Tyler is doing this on purpose just to get me all worked up and look like an ass in front of Bella. Or what if they are having car trouble and are on the side of the road? Maybe they were in a car wreck and are being life-flighted to the hospital!

"Dude! You're gonna stroke out if you don't calm your shit!" Emmett says as he walks up to me and hands me a beer.

"I know, I know. I'm tryin', alright? It's been too long since I've seen her and I'm just ready for her to be here." I look out the window again and, instead of pulling my hair, I start tapping my college ring on the bottle in my hand.

Emmett laughs. "You are hopeless, man, completely whipped."

"It's different for us, Em. I haven't known Bella all of my life like you have Rose. We're just gettin' started and I don't want to waste any more time. And, besides, I don't believe for a damn second that you wouldn't be out of your mind if Rose was gone for 4 weeks."

His face becomes serious. "Bra, that's just not right. Don't joke about that! I'd be worthless without my Rosie."

"Exactly. Now, leave me alone." I finish my beer and hand my brother the bottle so that I can continue to pace the foyer.

After another 5 minutes of pacing, I reach for my phone to start calling the local hospitals and sheriff's office, when I hear the sound of a car motor. Relief floods my body as I see Tyler's car pull up the driveway and park to the side of the house. I quickly try to calm my hair and straighten my shirt before I open the door. I don't even glance at my cane that is leaning against the corner of the entryway. I don't need it anymore and I want to show Bella how all my hard work in physical therapy has paid off. Yeah, I'm showing off for my girl. So what?

I step outside and stay on the front porch so I can watch for a bit. I see Tyler open the door for her and she steps out with the biggest grin on her face. I feel my heart beating against my ribs and my smile matches hers as I realize how happy she is to be here. To be at her new home.

She's so fucking beautiful.

A breeze blows her hair across her face and when she moves it behind her ear, she sees me.

Before my brain can tell my body to move, my legs have me running straight to her. She squeals as I lift her up and twirl around, holding her as close as I possibly can.

"Edward! You're going to make me throw up! Put me down!" She is laughing and it is the most wonderful sound to my lonely ears.

I put her down before taking her face in my hands and kissing her with all of my pent-up passion. She eagerly meets my tongue with hers and we both moan at the connection. I hear a throat clear on the porch and I reluctantly pull away. I glare at Tyler, because not only did he make her late, he just interrupted our reunion.

He notices how I am looking at him and quickly says, "Umm, Bella, I'm just gonna put your luggage in the hall in front of your room, if that's ok?"

"Of course, Tyler. Thank you so much!"

Tyler grabs her bags and scampers off like the nutria rat he is. I'm gonna have a little chat with him before the day is done.

I feel hands on my face, pulling me to look into the melted chocolate eyes I've been missing.

"Hey. Don't be mean to Tyler. It's not his fault we're a little late. There was construction in Baton Rouge and traffic was backed up for miles."

I have no choice but to believe her. First, Bella would never lie to me. Second, there is always construction on I-10, which makes driving in the city a huge pain in the ass.

"I'm sorry. I was just excited for you to finally be here, and when you weren't here on time, I worried that something bad had happened." I look down at my shoes. This is not how I wanted our reunion to start.

I feel a tiny finger lift my chin up until I am looking into her eyes again. "Let's start over, okay?" she asks.

I give her a small smile and nod my head. Before I can say or do anything, she blurts out, "Just don't twirl me around again! I haven't used the bathroom since my flight and I really don't want to pee on you."

That's my Chuck.

I laugh and kiss her mouth gently. "Hi."

"Hi."

I pull her to me and kiss her, moving my tongue in slowly so that it can become reacquainted with her warm mouth. My hands naturally move down her body and cup her ass, pulling her closer.

When we pull apart, we are both panting. With my lips still touching hers, I whisper, "I'm so glad you're here. I've missed you so much, Baby."

I feel her breath on my face as she says, "I've missed you too, Edward. So much. Let's not ever be away from each other for that long again, okay?'

I shake my head. "Never."

Bella pulls away far enough to shake her head at me. "You know, all of this waiting and worrying you did could've been avoided. Why didn't you pick me up at the airport?"

I shrug and grab her hand, leading her to the front door. "Emmett and I had some errands to run for Emse."

"Errands? Errands are more important than me? Besides, that's really vague. What kind of errands?"

"Come inside and see," I smile at her.

As soon as the words leave my mouth, the front door flies open and we hear the word "Surprise" being shouted out so loud it scares the birds out of the trees.

The look on Bella's face is priceless. Her mouth is hanging open and her hand is clutching her shirt right where her heart is. Everyone is here. My parents; Emmett, Rose, and Carter; even the newlyweds, Jasper and Alice are here. All for Bella.

"Wha..wha...what is going on?" she asks, breathlessly.

"Well, it's a surprise party, silly!" My mom rushes out and gives Bella a tight hug.

As Bella hugs her back she says, "But why?"

"Because it's your birthday!" My mother answers her.

"My birthday isn't for another 2 days!"

"Precisely! Aren't you surprised?" My mom lives for throwing parties and will find any excuse to do so. When she asked if she could plan this surprise party for Bella, I didn't really know how to answer her. I know that Bella gets embarrassed when people pay her too much attention, but I thought it'd be fun, so I agreed.

I just hope Bella isn't too upset about all of this.

"Hell, yeah, I'm surprised! What's more surprising is the fact that, after Edward spun me around the yard and then all of you screamed at me from the door, I still haven't peed on myself!"

We all burst out laughing, relieved that Bella is okay with her party.

"Well, Sugar, you just go inside and make yourself comfortable, alright?"

We follow everyone inside and Bella turns to go to our room. When she notices that I am not walking with her, she stops and raises an eyebrow at me.

"Are you not coming with me, Handsome?"

I walk up to her, getting as close as to her body as I can, and run my nose along her cheekbone. When I reach her delicate ear, I whisper, "Bella, if I walk into that room with you right now, after being away from you for so long, I will be coming with you, on you , and in you, that's for damn sure. But, because my family is down the hall waiting on us so that you can cut your cake and open presents, I'm gonna let you freshen up by yourself." I give her a tiny nibble on her earlobe and then walk into the kitchen.

I'm pretty sure I hear a shaky breath being taken behind me, but I ignore it the best I can.

About five minutes later, Bella walks in wearing my favorite look on her: denim shorts, tank top, and flip flops. She adapts to the casual style of living in the country very well, in my opinion. When she stands beside me, I notice that she still has a blush covering her face and chest left over from our chat in the hall, I assume. That blush is my favorite accessory, hands down.

After we all gorge ourselves on burgers and birthday cake, Bella begins opening her gifts. She really seems to love the charm bracelet from my parents, especially after my mom explains that she can keep adding charms whenever she wants. I'm pretty sure I heard Mama say something about "cute baby bottle charms", too. She's really not as smooth as she likes to think, but I love her, despite her nagging about grandbabies.

Alice and Jasper give Bella what every country girl needs: a cowgirl hat and flip flops in every color of the rainbow. This gives us all a big laugh that turns into an awkward silence as Emmett hands Bella something that looks like a long but thin rectangle made of paper. Bella takes the paper, glances down at it, and then looks back up at Emmett.

"You gave me a menu from Hot Pockets? Wow, um, thanks. That's very, um, thoughtful." Her last sentence sounds more like a question but no one blames her. This is news, even to me.

Emmett rolls his eyes before replying, "Open it and look in the dessert section."

Bella does what he says and her eyes widen as she reads out loud, "The 'Bella Pocket'? Emmett, you named a hot pocket after me?"

"Yeah! Rosie helped me think of the ingredients: rich, gooey chocolate sprinkled with chili powder. I know it may not sound great but, I promise, it is amazing! We thought it should be sweet and spicy, just like you!"

Suddenly, Bella runs and jumps up a bit so that she can hug my brother around the neck.

"That is the coolest gift ever, Emmett! Thank you so much! Thank you, too, Rose," she says as she hugs Rosalie.

Rose hugs her back before handing her a stuffed animal that resembles Mike the TIger. "This is from Carter. He's the LSU mascot and one of Carter's favorite things to see whenever we go to the city."

Bella hugs the stuffed tiger tightly before thanking Carter with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He blushes while the rest of the group simply beams at my beautiful girlfriend. It's an incredible feeling seeing the most important people in my life together like this. I feel truly blessed.

I'm pulled from my thoughts when I hear a throat clearing from the group. I look up and Alice is giving me "the look". I've known Alice for only a couple of months, but I know "the look" when I see it. I know what she means, but I have to play dumb for just a bit longer.

I realize everyone is staring at me so I ask, "What? What are y'all lookin' at me for?"

Bella turns to me. "What up, Cullen? Where's my gift from you?"

"I thought _I _was your gift!" I tease her.

"Yeah, yeah! Give it up, Edward! I want my present," she says, holding out her hand. I love it when she gets demanding.

"Well, technically, it's not your birthday yet so, I think I'll wait a couple of days before I give it to you."

"Oh, knock it off, Edward," my mom fusses at me. "Quit teasin' and give the poor girl her present!"

I grab Bella's hand and say, "Come on. Let's go for a ride."

I pull her into the garage and walk her to the golf cart that drove us to my cottage the first week Bella was here. I turn to help her into the passenger seat and I see her beaming up at me.

"Well, isn't this a blast from the past," she asks. "We must not be going very far."

"Nah, not too far...but, hopefully, it's far enough."

She gives me an unsure laugh. "You sure are being cryptic today, Mr. Cullen."

"Don't worry, Ms. Swan, you'll get your answers soon enough. Oh, and you'll need this before we can leave." I wave a handkerchief in front of her face.

"What? You're blindfolding me, are you serious? That's just ridiculous, Edward! Is this really necessary? I'm sure I can keep my eyes closed."

Uh oh.

"Come on, Baby. Please? I promise it'll be worth it." I try to give her my puppy-dog eyes but I can't tell if she is falling for it.

After a couple of minutes of her narrowing her eyes and pouting her lips at me, she finally lets out a deep breath. "Okay, fine! This better be good!"

I just chuckle at her as I cover her eyes. When I've finished tying the material behind her head, I give her a few soft kisses along her neck down to her shoulder.

"Mmmmm...now this kind of blindfolding treatment, I like," she purrs. My kinky girl.

"Oh, yeah? Well, maybe I'll have to keep this hanky for future use," I say before kissing just below her ear and walking to the driver's side.

As I drive Bella across my parents' property, I make sure to hold Bella's hand so that she doesn't feel too awkward. I can tell she isn't really comfortable with being driven around blindfolded, but I appreciate her willingness to go along with my plan.

When I put the cart in park, she immediately asks if she can take the handkerchief off.

"Just a second, Darlin'. Let me help you out of the cart first."

I walk over to her side of the cart and kiss her forehead before taking her hand and help her onto her feet. As I lead her, I feel my heart beating a million miles a minute and my palms are starting to sweat.

This is it. I'm finally going to show her the cottage. Our cottage. We've all worked really hard to get this finished for this weekend and I hope she loves it. I mean, I'm sure she will, but I'm still nervous about her reaction. What if she doesn't like it?

I stand her directly in front of the house, far enough back so that she can see the entire house all at once. I stand in front of her, reach around her head, and untie the blindfold. Slowly pulling it down, I move beside her so that I can watch her reaction.

Her eyes go wide and her mouth drops open. I wait for her to say something. I need her to say something. I need to hear her say that she loves it and she can't wait to move in.

"Edward...I...I...I don't know what to say," she says, barely above a whisper. I see her eyes glisten over, as she tries to speak. "It's beautiful...and perfect."

"Are you sure?"

She turns to me, with all sincerity, and says "I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life."

I feel the double meaning behind her declaration and decide that now is as good of time as any. Dropping to one knee, I pull out the box that has been burning a hole in my pocket for the last month. I open the box and look up at Bella. The glisten in her eyes has turned to full-blown tears. Her hands are covering her mouth and appear to be shaking. I reach up for her left hand and stroke it with my thumb, hoping to calm her.

"I've had this ring for a while, but I didn't really think about what I was going to say. I love you so much and being apart from you just solidified the fact that I can't live without you. When you realize that you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. Isabella Swan, I promise to love you every day of forever. Would you do me the exceptional honor of marrying me?"

I look up into her big chocolate brown eyes. She has tears streaming down her cheeks, but she's not saying anything. Did I say it right? Did I forget something important?

"Oh, I called Charlie...and, um...he said it was ok. He...uh..."

"You called my dad? Are you serious? Why would you call my dad? Who does that anymore? That's so old-fashioned." She starts laughing.

She's fucking laughing at me.

"You didn't answer my question."

**BPOV **

He asked my dad? Are you kidding me? I couldn't love him anymore than I do at this moment.

"Um, Bella?"

Oh, shit. Right. Of course.

I throw my arms around him and knock us both to the ground. My lips find his and I kiss him, putting all of my emotions and feelings into the kiss. Edward starts laughing and I break away, looking at him. "So, I take that as a yes?"

"Of course it's a yes, you crazy beautiful man. Of course, I'll marry you."

Edward fumbles around with the ring and takes my left hand, slipping it onto my ring finger. I pull my hand back and really look at the ring for the first time. It takes my breath away. It's an oval shaped diamond with small diamonds surrounding it. The middle part is raised off the band and it has gorgeous scrollwork on the sides. I've never seen a ring more beautiful. Of course, Edward could have given me a ring out of a Cracker Jack box and I would have been happy. All I care about is marrying him and being his forever.

As we're laying in the soft green grass, I look over at the cottage...the cottage that Edward built for me. My heart is so full of love for this man and for this place. I feel the tears prick at my eyes again. Looking over at Edward, I see a small tear fall down his cheek. Reaching over, I brush it away. He looks at me and I see those green eyes, the same green eyes that have been calling to me in my dreams. Edward pulls me into his arms and I know I'm home.

* * *

**A/Ns:**

**Jenny Kate**:*sniffles* Welp, that's it. What now?

**Jiff**: It's not really 'it'...we have more coming, right?

**Jenny Kate**: Right. We have the epilogue and the futuretake that we'll be writing for Fandom4TwiFanG...so, there's that.

**Jiff**: Ok, whew! Even though the story has officially ended, I'm just not ready to say good-bye!

**Jenny Kate**: Me either! We love you guys more than a back-alley whore loves crack. We're not saying "good-bye"...we're just saying "see you later".


	26. Epilogue At Last

**Disclaimer: We do not own Twilight or the characters.**

* * *

"Edward, where is the hammock?"

"Don't worry, Baby," he says, as he helps me up off the ground. "It's perfectly safe in the backyard, tied up between two sturdy oak trees." He wiggles his eyebrows at me. "I couldn't afford to lose the hammock. I have big plans for it."

"Oh, really? Like what?"

He picks me up and throws me over the shoulder, as he hastily walks to the back of the cottage.

I'm laughing so hard and the blood is rushing to my head so fast, I can hardly talk. So, I start slapping his fine ass and yelling at him to put me down.

"Nope, not gonna happen. I'm never letting you go."

With those words, I completely stop fighting him and he pulls me around until he's cradling me in his arms. His lips meet mine half way and I'm so lost in the kiss that I don't even know where I am, until I feel the fabric of the hammock under me. Edward lays me down and then gingerly tries to straddle me, never letting his lips leave mine. The intensity of our kiss increases and I feel the burning and need for him. It's been so long since we've been together, like this. I want him so bad I can taste it.

I get so caught up in the passion of the moment and hitch one of my legs up around his hips, trying to gain some friction where I need it the most. The movement completely throws us off balance and before I know it, we're laying back on the ground, with the hammock swaying above us.

Edward is underneath me and he's laughing. It's a light-hearted, happy laugh. I look at him, this gorgeous creature that just poured his soul out to me, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him; and I'm just lost in his embrace. I brush the hair that is on his forehead and begin kissing everywhere I touch...starting there and working my way down.

"I need you, Edward. I need you more than I need my next breath. I can't be without you any longer." I kiss his neck and the top of his chest, but his shirt is in the way. The grass is soft and green under us, so I pull at the hem of his shirt and he lifts up, allowing me to take it completely off.

His hands are firmly planted on my ass and he starts pushing down on my hips, giving us both some of the friction we're wanting. I would love to kiss him and his body for the rest of the afternoon, but I know that I won't be doing that. I need Edward inside of me. I need to feel him move and claim my body. I can feel that he needs that, too. I make quick work of the buttons on his jeans when I get down to his waist. I kiss a small little trail, as I hook my fingers into the waistband of his boxers, giving them a tug.

Edward lifts his hips and slides the jeans and boxers off, freeing his cock. I almost cry from the sight. I've dreamed night and day about this moment, since the last time we were together.

"Baby, I need you naked," Edward says, breaking me from my trance and pulling my shirt over my head. I quickly unbutton my pants and pull them and my panties off in one quick motion. We go back to devouring each other's mouths, only losing contact to give other body parts some much needed attention.

He rolls us over, gently laying me on the ground, with one hand on my back. Sitting up on his knees, he leans back and just looks at me for a moment. I don't feel awkward or embarrassed. I feel loved and wanted.

"You're so damn beautiful. I can't believe you're going to be my wife. How did I get so lucky?"

"I'm the lucky one."

He puts his hands on either side of my head, hovering above me, intentionally slowing the pace. I know him so well now. I can read him and tell what he's thinking, without him saying a word. With his looks and touches, he tells me everything I ever needed to know.

He runs a finger along my collarbone, between my breasts, and down my stomach. I shiver from his touch. He stops for a moment and then gently slides a finger between my folds. Once he feels how wet I am, how ready I am for him, he brings his finger up to his lips and sucks it.

That chain of events lights a fuse in my body. I feel the tightening in my stomach and I try to close my legs, as a reaction. Edward puts both hands on my knees, forcing my legs further apart.

"I would ask if you're ready for me, but I already know the answer to that," he says smugly, pulling me closer to him. My legs are now on top of his, and my entrance is at the perfect height for him to push inside me...and he does.

"I've missed you. I've missed this. You have no idea how much..."

His mouth covers mine, drowning out my words. He's showing me how much he's missed me, rather than telling me...and it feels so good.

Our bodies move in perfect cadence. The only sounds are of him moving inside of me, and our mutual whimpers and moans from the pleasure we both feel. I could do this all day, but my body is quickly responding to the sensations and I feel myself peaking. I need the release and I know Edward does, too. I can see it in his face.

"I want you to come, Baby. Can you do that for me?" He asks me, as he begins to stroke my clit.

"I'm close...so close...ugghh..." I'm no longer able to make any intelligent sounds come out of my mouth. All of my senses are on overload and I feel myself falling over the edge. When I can finally make words come out, it's Edward's name that falls off my lips. As I chant his name, I feel him explode inside of me. He reverently begins to kiss my lips, and my cheeks...and my neck, and my breasts. When he comes back up to my lips, I can taste the saltiness of our sweat...and me and him...and it tastes so good.

It _feels_ so good to be home.

**EPOV**

We are still laying in the grass, naked. If I could spend everyday of forever, just like this, I would so, I'm soaking up the moment.

I still can't believe I asked Bella to marry me when I first showed her the house. I mean, I was planning on doing it all along but I was trying to wait until we were here in the backyard. I was going to have candles, and wine, and everything I could think of to make it romantic. I know Bella doesn't have to have all of that showy stuff, but I still wanted to make it special. Once I saw her reaction to the new house, though, I knew it was the right time.

I am even more surprised that she said 'yes'. We've hinted and talked about it before and I know we both want the same things in our relationship, but when you are asking the love of your life the most important question ever, all confidences are gone. She could've said 'no' or 'not yet' but she didn't. She said 'of course'. As those words fell out of her soft, rosy lips, my heart started beating again and I became the happiest man on earth.

Feeling Bella's delicate fingers on my face brings me out of my thoughts. I automatically smile and kiss her mouth.

"Hey, are you going to show me the inside of the house or are we going to stay here and be devoured by the mosquitoes?"

"Being covered head-to-toe by big red dots isn't so bad," I laugh as I sit up and hand her clothes to her. When we are both dressed and have tried to smooth down our hair, I grab her hand and lead her back to front of the house.

"Um, Edward, I've seen this part, you know?' she teases.

"Yes, but you were quickly blinded by the bling I was dangling in front of you. I want to make sure you really see the house without being distracted by me."

"I'm always distracted by you, Handsome."

I pull her body close to mine. "Words like that will get you distracted for sure, my love." I cradle her face and gently kiss her, letting my tongue linger with hers for just a moment, before pulling away. She keeps her eyes closed and sighs deeply. It's times like this I wish I knew what she was thinking, but I can probably guess. We seem to be on the same 'wavelength' most days.

Just like I did earlier, I watch Bella look at the house. Her eyes widen and she is smiling like it's Christmas morning. I knew she'd love the deep porch that covers the entire front of the house. I can't wait to hang a swing, or maybe two, on the porch for us to sit on in the evenings.

"Oh, Edward. The porch! I can almost smell the sweet tea brewing just looking at it! I can already tell we'll spend a lot of our time out here, don't you think?"

See? Same wavelength.

"Don't go choosin' your favorite part of the house just yet. You still haven't been inside." I take her hand and lead her up the steps that finally take us into our new home. Before I open the door, I turn to Bella. "Now, remember. Nothing in here is set in stone. I left the walls a neutral color and there's just the bare minimum of furniture inside. This is your house just as much as it is mine and I want you to decorate it in any way you like. I want you to feel comfortable here and make this house our home."

I see her eyes glisten again so, I kiss each one softly. "I love you so much, Bella. Are you ready?'

"Yes! Show me! I can't wait any longer!" She does this cute, little jumpy thing that I've seen other girls do before. I assume that means she's excited so, I open the front door and let her step inside.

I hear Bella gasp and when I turn to look at her, she has her hand covering her mouth that is kind of hanging open. My heart soars, seeing how much she instantly likes the house.

"Edward, it's amazing. Absolutely beautiful!" She starts to slowly walk around, taking in as many details as possible. Running her hand over the back of the chair that is closest to the door, she turns and scans the room.

The house isn't what I'd consider fancy, by any means, but it's certainly nicer than it used to be. There are hardwood floors and crown molding everywhere and windows are covering most of the outside walls. The living room opens up into the kitchen and dining room, making it all one large room. I had them put in a gas fireplace on the wall in between the living and dining areas. My mom bought this big rug to go in front of it, with a couple of chairs. She said that the place needed a little 'warming up'. I like it. I can imagine it being a place where Bella and I sit and read books or play with babies. Oh, wow. Emmett was right. I'm whipped.

"Edward, you didn't keep anything from the old house?" she asks, looking at me curiously.

I shake my head at her. "I didn't want anything here to remind me of that day with James and Laurent. I wasn't about to let them taint our new life together in any way, so I got rid of it all. Donated some things, trashed other things, and whatever was left over was demolished with the house."

She walks up to me and takes my hand. "Was it hard getting rid of it all?"

"No, there wasn't a lot in here to begin with, but it doesn't matter anyway. The only thing that matters is that you are here and we can finally get past all of that drama and be together. Forever," I say, while rubbing her ring.

Bella wraps her arms around me and gives me a tight squeeze. "Tell me more about the house. How many bedrooms, bathrooms...all the details."

"Well, you've seen the family room and dining room, and as you can see just over there, the kitchen is large and state-of-the-art. I mean, we both love being in kitchen, so I thought you'd like that." She gives me a big grin and nods her head 'yes' at me.

"Down that hall over there is the master suite. Upstairs, there are 3 bedrooms, a game room, and a full-sized bathroom."

"Three more bedrooms? Edward, we really don't need all of that space for just the two of us. Who are they for?" she asks, trying to be coy.

I feel the tips of my ears flame up. I don't know why talking about this embarasses me but I feel shy all of a sudden. I shrug and break eye contact with her. "Well, I didn't know how many kids you wanted to have. We've never really talked numbers. So, I thought we could start with three rooms. And, if, I don't know, we need more, we can always add on..."

She giggles at me and gives me another squeeze. "I think three bedrooms is a good start. But, I will have to steal one as an office, at least, for a while."

"Oh, um, you already have an office. It's down that other hall," I point towards the hall opposite of the one leading to our bedroom.

"Edward? You made me an office, too?" She genuinely looks surprised.

"Of course, I did, Baby. I know how much you love your work and I want you to have your very own space to do it in."

She stands on the tips of her toes, laces her fingers behind my neck, and pulls my face close to hers. "You've thought of everything, Edward. It's perfect. Thank you so much."

We both stand there for a while, just kissing and whispering words of love to each other, when I remember that there is more for Bella to see.

"I forgot that there is one more thing you need to see," I whisper against her lips.

"I can't imagine what that would be. Everything I need is right here," she whispers back to me.

I kiss her one more time, before pulling away and leading her to the back door.

"I've always wanted French doors off of my kitchen! How did you know?"

I smile at the fact that she said "my kitchen". "You've always commented on how you love the doors off of the kitchen at the big house. I figured you'd like them here, as well. I thought it'd be nice for when we're enjoying cool evenings in the garden..." I trail off, as I open the doors.

"We have a garden." It's not a question. It's a statement.

"My mom thought you'd like it. She said she'd be more than happy to help you plant more flowers and stuff. She called it a 'starter garden'." I shrug a little, hoping Bella likes it.

"I love it. I love it all, Edward. I can't believe this is my house...my life. There is no way that I could have imagined that I would be standing here a few months ago. I wanted so much more out of my life, but I was lost on how to get it. The day that Alice asked me to come to Louisiana, I just felt in the pit of my stomach that it was the right thing to do. I think I was being pulled to you, even back then, before I knew you. I can't wait to live here with you and start our forever."

I pull her into my arms again, and kiss her hard and deep.

***September to October***

**.**

**.**

**.**

***October to November***

"Alice, I swear, if you touch my hair one more time..."

"What Bella? What are you going to do?"

"I will pop a cap in your ass."

Alice falls into a fit of giggles. "Oh, god, Bella. You are so funny when you talk gangsta."

I just stare at her. She stops laughing and stares back at me. "Edward is going to lose his shit when he sees you. You are the epitome of beautiful. I can't believe you're getting married."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. It's just that a year ago, if you would have asked me where we would be in a year, I would not have said the south and I would not have said married; but look at us."

"Yeah..." I say, as I turn into the full-length mirror, running my hands down the sides of my dress, feeling the soft material under my fingers. Alice comes up behind me and fixes my vail. My dress has a corset top that is covered in lace, and the bottom is flowy layers of chiffon. Alice says that the dress is just like me...sexy and sweet.

I hope Edward likes it.

We've tried to be as traditional as possible. He hasn't seen my dress. We haven't moved into the cottage yet, but of course, we've still been sharing his bedroom at the big house. Although, we haven't had sex for the past few nights. Edward said that it would make our wedding night that much more special. I told him it will be his fault if I murder everyone from built-up frustration.

Surprisingly enough, the wedding planning process was a breeze. Esme did most of the leg-work. I just had to make decisions on flowers and colors. Edward took care of all of the food and entertainment. I swear they should all go into a catering or party planning business. They really work well together. Emmett even pitched in and took care of getting all of the tuxes and renting the chairs and tables. Rose and Alice helped me with my part, and we made the most of it. We spent one weekend in Baton Rouge doing wedding planning and playing on the side...or maybe it was playing and doing wedding planning on the side.

"Are you ready? Charlie is waiting downstairs." Rose peeks her head in the door. We are getting dressed at her house so that it will be easier to keep Edward and me apart today. Plus, we can't be at the plantation yet, if I'm going to make my grand entrance there.

As Alice and I make our way downstairs, Rose is standing at the front door with all three bouquets in her hands, yelling out the front door, "Carter, I swear on all that is good and holy, if you get dirty before we get to the wedding, I'm gonna yank a knot in your tail."

"You look absolutely gorgeous, Darlin'! You ready to go get hitched?" She asks me, with her eyebrows raised, holding the door open. Alice helps me with my train and we make our way out to the car.

Charlie is standing there with the door open and I almost have to pull my handkerchief out and use it already. Edward had given me the one from the day he surprised me with the cottage and Alice had wrapped it around the stems of my bouquet. I was hoping I wasn't going to need it, but I can see now that I'll probably need it sooner than later. "You look so handsome, Dad," I say, as I straighten out his tie and brush down his collar. "Bella, sweetie, you look more beautiful than I've ever seen you." He kisses my cheek, takes my hand, and helps me into the car.

Carlisle collects vintage cars. He likes to toy with them in his free time, and take Esme on "Coke Dates", so, he insisted that we use a couple of them for the wedding.

"Where to, Miss?" Tyler pipes up from the front seat of the black 1966 Ford Mustang, grinning widely at me through the rearview mirror.

"To my soon-to-be husband, and make it quick. If you get stopped, I'll pay the ticket." I wink at him back through the mirror, repeating the words I spoke to him just a few months ago.

As we pull up to the plantation, Tyler turns into the lane that leads up to the house. "You can slow down now, Tyler. I want to enjoy this."

It's a beautiful November evening. The sun is just beginning to set. You can see the lights from the hundreds of mason jars hanging in the trees with candles lit inside them. I think we've timed the ceremony just perfectly. Leaning over to look out the window, I can see all of the white chairs in rows on either side of the lane, and I can finally see Edward standing at the end of the lane waiting on me.

I didn't even realize the car stopped, until my dad is opening the door and offering me his hand.

"Hey, Kiddo. Are you ready?"

"I've never been more ready for anything in my entire life."

He smiles at me and I can see the tears collecting in his eyes.

"Please don't cry," I sniffle. "I want my make-up to still look pretty when Edward sees me for the first time."

He kisses my forehead. "You could be wearing a cardboard box and no make-up and he would still think you are the most gorgeous creature he's ever laid eyes on."

"Thanks, Dad. What would I do without you?"

"Let's not think about that." He chuckles a little, as he takes my hand and helps me out of the car. Alice and Rosalie have already taken their spots up front and I see Emmett and Jasper standing beside Edward. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

Once I'm walking down the lane, I feel a hundred pairs of eyes on me, but the only eyes that matter are the green ones waiting on me at the end of the aisle. Edward has the biggest grin on his face and his eyes are sparkling. He looks stunning in his black tux, with his black bowtie. His usual perfectly messy hair is tamed a bit, making him look a little more boyish. I want to kiss him.

I look over to my right and see Esme and Carlisle standing on the front row. Esme looks beautiful and her tears of happiness are running down her cheeks. They are only rivaled by my mother's tears on the other side of the aisle. I stop and give my mom a kiss. "I'm so proud of you, Baby," she whispers in my ear. Her words make my heart swell even more.

When my dad and I get to the end of our long walk down the lane, Edward steps up and takes my hand. The rest of the ceremony is a blur, until I hear the words, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Edward dips me back and kisses me with more passion and emotion than I've ever felt. In that moment, it is like we are the only two people here, the only two people in the world. It's just us in our bubble.

I'm pulled back onto my feet as our kiss is broken and I hear the cheers from our guests. Maybe I should be embarrassed by our kiss, but I'm not. In fact, I'm ready to do it again.

Once everyone has calmed down, the minister announces that the reception is being held in the Cullen's backyard and for everyone to start moving to that area. I am hoping my husband and I will be able to have a few moments to ourselves before we are announced at the reception, but no such luck.

Alice is suddenly in my face, touching up my makeup and reminding me that Edward and I are supposed to take pictures by one of the oak trees down the lane. I make my pouty face at her, but she is somehow immune. Edward grabs my hand, kisses where my ring is, and starts leading me to the tree.

"Come on, my beautiful bride. You'll regret not having pictures from our wedding one of these days, and I want to be able to look back at them and remember the way you look right this moment."

His words have me in a daze. "I can't help it. I just wanted some time alone with you."

"We'll have plenty of alone time later." He kisses my pouty lips.

"How do you have so much self-control?"

"I just remind myself that I have forever to spend with you. Now, lets go take these damn pictures, so we can get this show on the road." He kisses me once more, before whisking me away.

After taking our photos, we are finally allowed to go to our reception. The music is turned down and everyone turns to watch us step into the yard. When the DJ announces "Ladies and Gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to our very special couple, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen", it takes me a moment to realize that he is referring to us. Edward chuckles while he pulls me on the dance floor that has been set up in the middle of the yard.

Everyone is clapping as the DJ says, "And, now, Bella and Edward will have their first dance as 'Man and Wife'."

Edward whispers in my ear, "Alright, Chuck. Remember, you're in your fancy shoes, so no trippin'." I try to give him a bitch-face, but when I hear "At Last" start to play, I completely freeze. I told Edward a few weeks ago that he could pick out our wedding song; that I wanted to be surprised. 'Surprised' doesn't even begin to describe what I am feeling right now.

"Edward, how did you know I love this song?"

He starts swaying to the music and my body naturally follows. "Well, I know you have the CD and I've heard you sing it in the shower, too." He kisses the blush on my cheeks. "Once I listened to the words, I just knew it was perfect for us."

"It is perfect. Everything about today has been perfect. Thank you."

"I love you, Bella."

I am about to kiss him when my father steps up to us. "Well, kids, I apologize, but it's time for the traditional dance with the parents." We laugh and separate, both turning around to dance with our parents. It feels so good to have my mom and dad here.

We take turns dancing with each parent, until it is time to do the more traditional wedding dances. We do the Money Dance, which is when people "pay" to dance with the bride and groom, by pinning dollar bills to their clothes. After that, Emmett has to do what is called the "Broom Dance". Since Edward is younger than Emmett, and has gotten married first, it is a Cajun tradition that the older sibling dance with a broom in front of everyone. Of course, Emmett gets a little carried away and sticks the broom between his legs while thrusting the air. Rosalie quickly grabs Emmett by his lapels and pulls him off of the dance floor while the crowd is laughing.

After Emmett is forced off the dance floor, Jasper grabs the mic and yells, "_Laissez les Bon Temp Rouler_!" and motions for everyone to start dancing to the party music that is now playing. We dance until I can't dance anymore. My feet are starting to hurt and I'm starving. Edward and I are only able to snack on our food, because so many people want to congratulate us and wish us well. Why doesn't anyone warn the bride and groom that they won't be able to eat at their own wedding?

We cut the cake and listen to the toasts given by Carlisle and Esme, Charlie, Alice, and then Emmett. Normally, at this point we are supposed to toss my garter and bouquet, but Edward and I have a different idea. I sneak to the side of the house, and pull my garter off my leg. Then I grab my flowers, and meet Edward at the DJ mic.

"Hello, Everyone! Good evening! Bella and I would like to say 'thank you' for coming out here tonight and celebrating our special day with us. We would also like to announce that we are going to change a couple of things up a bit. Where's my brother? Emmett? You and Rosalie need to come over here, please."

Emmett and Rose look both shocked and nervous as they slowly walk over to us.

Edward continues. "I know we are supposed to throw Bella's garter and flowers to see who will be getting married next, according to tradition, but Bella and I want to skip that step and simply hand them over to you. We love you both and want to use this moment to encourage y'all to get married as soon as possible!"

I'm kind of anxious, waiting to see how Rose is going to react, but when I see her face light up, I know we did the right thing. I hug her tightly before handing over my bouquet, and Edward sticks my garter in Emmett's coat pocket as he slaps him on the back.

"Hell, Rosie, I'll marry you right now! Let's fly out to Vegas!" Emmett shouts.

"Oh, no, you won't, Emmett Cullen!" We turn to see Esme wagging her finger in her older son's face. "It's bad enough that _one_ of my sons got married outside of the church! I will not let you do the same!"

Edward groans. "Mom, we've already discussed this. Bella and I will get our marriage blessed by the church later."

"I know that! I'm just getting your brother back for that vulgar dance he did with the broom. I'll have to throw it away and get a new one tomorrow!"

**EPOV**

We've been dancing and mingling for what seems like hours, when Bella gives me a look. It is the same look that I am giving her. It's time. Time to go to our home and celebrate our wedding in private.

Most of our guests have left by now. It's just our close family and friends that are still here. They are all still having a great time, so we tell them to stay as long as they'd like. We are flooded with hugs, kisses, handshakes and back slaps as we say our goodbyes.

Happy tears are wiped away and rice is thrown as we walk to the condom-covered golf cart that we are supposed to drive to our house. It is obvious that Emmett was in charge of decorating our getaway car. I drive us far enough down the road to satisfy the small crowd watching us, before parking it under a tree. I want to walk with my wife.

I help Bella out of the cart and hold her hand. No words are spoken as we walk. None are needed. Our bodies are speaking to each other through touches and electric sparks, knowing what is about to happen. The same type of mason jar lights that decorated our wedding and reception are on our front porch. They are like a beacon drawing us to our future.

Our steps quicken and hands hold each other tighter and I feel like I'm out of breath. The feeling that is coming over me is overwhelming and something I never thought I'd experience. Standing in front of the house, with my arms now wrapped around my wife, I am happy, nervous, and calm all at the same time. My voice is barely a whisper when I ask, "Are you ready?"

The question means more than just for tonight and, yet, her answer is a simple "Yes." It's all I need to hear. We're both ready.

I quickly scoop her up in my arms, and jog up the stairs and across the porch to open the door. She is laughing and squealing, so carefree and in love. In love with me. This thought pushes me through the door, barely closing it from the inside, and rushing to our bedroom.

We can't keep our hands and mouths off of each other as we make our way to the bed. Our passion makes us frantic with need until we are both gasping for air. I finally pull away, trying to slow my heartbeat, so I can focus on the beautiful woman underneath me.

Her hair is falling out of its wedding style and framing her face in sweaty curls. I will never tire of her perfectly flushed face and swollen lips from my kisses, so I kiss her again. Gentle. Hard. Slow. Fast.

"Mr. Cullen, would you please take this dress off of me," my bride asks.

"It would be my pleasure, Mrs. Cullen."

I help Bella sit up and I move to sit behind her. With every button I undo, my mouth follows and leaves a trail of kisses. When I am finished she stands up and turns to face me. Bella is absolutely glowing as she slowly slides the dress down her hips. Her eyes never leave mine as she quickly discards her white lacy bra and thong and I lick my lips, dying to taste her. She is back on the bed with me seconds later, wearing nothing but her wedding ring, and it's my favorite 'outfit' on her.

"Here, let me help you out of your clothes," she says as she starts undoing the buttons on my shirt. She leaves fiery kisses all over my chest and I hear her whisper "my husband" over and over. My heart is beating like crazy for her and I close my eyes tightly, so that I don't completely lose control yet. I help her pull my pants and boxers off and then completely cover her body with mine.

We devour each other with our mouths and hands. It's both too much and not enough. I never thought a piece of paper and some jewelry would make us better than we were before, but it does. It just does.

I slide my mouth down her body, until I am nestled between her legs. Bella runs her fingers through my hair and watches me through her lustful gaze as I place soft kisses around her pussy. When I can't take the temptation any longer, I use my tongue to firmly stroke the entire length of her center. My senses are on overload as I feel her heat and taste her desire at the same time. My dick is aching for her, but I want to finish what I started.

Bella starts rotating her hips to the same rhythm my tongue is using on her clit and I know she is getting close. I want to make it last a little longer so I move my mouth to her folds and slowly insert a finger inside of her. She pulls on my hair and we both moan while experiencing different sensations.

"So good, Edward...so good," my wife whispers. I add another finger and her whispers turn into moans. I don't think I can wait any longer; I'm desperate to feel her come, so I increase the pressure of my tongue on her pussy and speed up my fingers. Bella is panting and grinding herself in my face and, when I curl my fingers inside of her, she screams my name out in ecstasy.

I slow my tongue, but not my fingers, as I watch Bella ride out her orgasm. Fucking perfect.

When she starts squirming and getting ticklish, I know it's time to stop. I kiss my way up her body until I find her mouth, claiming it with my own.

"Damn, Mr. Cullen, that was incredible," Bella giggles.

"I hope you're not too tired because I have something I want to _give_ you," I say, waggling my eyebrows.

"Oh, I bet you do. I'm ready whenever you are," she challenges me.

My cock is already lined up perfectly with her heat so, I lace my fingers with hers and slowly push myself all the way in. I stay there for a moment, letting the sensations sink deep into my bones. _This_ is why we are at home and not at some random hotel. This indescribable feeling of completeness that we saved for this house, this bed, and this night. I wish I never had to move.

Of course, my body has other thoughts on the matter so I start thrusting, slowly at first so I can also kiss Bella's breasts. I worship her nipples with my mouth, until I feel Bella's legs wrap tightly under my ass. My wife wants more, so I'm going to give it to her.

I hold her body close to mine as I speed up my movements and she rocks her hips upward to meet me halfway. We are swallowing each other's whimpers and moans, as we kiss passionately until we simply can't hold back any longer.

"Oh! Edward! God, yes!" Bella's fingernails dig into my back, as her orgasm rips through her, making her pussy tighten around my cock.

"Fuck, Baby! So fucking good," I chant as I come inside her.

After we regain our senses and our breathing is back to normal, I pull out of Bella and settle us under the covers. We are completely wrapped up in each other and on the verge of falling asleep when we whisper to each other.

"Good night, my husband."

"Good night, my wife."

**BPOV**

Waking up in Edward's arms is always wonderful, but waking up in his arms now that we are married, is simply amazing. I wish we could stay in bed all day, but we have to get up and drive to Baton Rouge so that we can start our honeymoon.

Our honeymoon. I'm so excited about our trip. Edward and I had discussed many different places to go over the past few weeks. I told him that I want somewhere gorgeous where I can take a ton of pictures and his only request was that it was fun. Typical guy.

We finally decided on Costa Rica because it has everything: volcanoes, tropical forests and waterfalls to explore; ziplining, rock climbing, and river rafting for when we are feeling adventurous; and secluded beaches and our own cabana for when we want some down time.

This trip is a dream come true, but what really matters most is that Edward and I are together and we are starting our forever. That's the best adventure in the world.

* * *

**Cajun Glossary**: _Laissez les Bon Temp Rouler_ - Let the good times roll!

* * *

**A/Ns:**

**Jiff**: Well, that's it! Or, is it? Okay, okay, we do still have a futuretake coming and it will be included in the **Fandom4TwiFanG** compilation. Follow their twitter account and/or blog to get updates about deadlines and when the compilation will be posted. So, what did everyone think about the epi? I hope it meets everyone's expectations and covers all that you wanted to read about!

**Jenny Kate**: This really is the end. ** *sniffles* ** Like, Jiff said, we'll be donating the futuretake to Fandom4TwiFanG. I believe the date for the release of the compilation is August 31st. We'll be able to post it on FFN on October 31st. We just can't express in words how much all of your support and friendship means to us. It's hard for us to wrap our brains around people talking about our fic on Facebook and Twitter. We've been fangirls for so long. It's weird being on this side of things. SoCo far surpassed our expectations for our first fic, and we have all of you to thank for that! So, from the bottom of our Rob-lovin' hearts, thank you so much! If we could reach through this computer and hug each and every one of you, we would. Thank you for embracing the South and appreciating the Cajun way of life. Thank you for making us feel loved through all of your wonderful reviews. Thank you for tolerating our brand of crazy and laughing along with us. If you're on Twitter or Facebook, please come find us! We'd love to keep in touch.

**Jiff**: Yep, what JK said! We never expected this kind of reaction to our story and to know that there are other people out there that love it as much as we do, blows our minds! Please find us on Twitter and FB, we'd love to chat with y'all! I also want to thank my hubby for pre-reading, beta-ing, supporting, encouraging, and not griping too much on those nights I stayed up way too late writing! You are my CajunWard!

Jenny Kate: AWE! Now I'm crying again!** *sniffles* **That's so sweet.

**Jiff**: What can I say? I'm a sap! ***shrugs***

**A special thanks to:**

**AllthingsHHH**, our fanfic sensei, for telling us that we're brave and giving us the push to hit publish in the beginning.

**Smitten_RPattz **for supporting us, pre-reading, and being our beta from time to time.

**Twifanmom **for being our beta occasionally, and always looking out for our grammatical errors!


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer - It's finally here! The SoCo futuretake we wrote for the Fandom4TwiFanG compilation! We are so excited to finally be able to share this with you! We hope you love it! We do not own Twilight but we have tons of SoCo tshirts!**

**It's Your Love**

**6 years later**

(BPOV)

"Evangeline Claire Cullen, where are you? You better not be playing with Uncle Jasper's microphone again!"

I had no idea little girls could be so rambunctious.

When I found out I was pregnant with our son, Mason, a year after Edward and I were married, I was thrilled, but also scared. I didn't know anything about raising a boy, and after hearing more stories of how Edward and Emmett were when they were younger, I was a nervous wreck. When Mason was born, though, I was comforted by his calm nature. He only cried when he needed something and he loved to snuggle.

My little Evie Claire was the exact opposite. During my pregnancy with her, she was constantly kicking and rolling around, and after she was born, she was colicky and didn't sleep very much. She has exhausted us these past 3 years, but she is such a fun little girl when she's not making me pull my hair out.

"It's ok, Mama. I'll go find her." I run my fingers through Mason's thick brown hair and kiss his forehead. "Thanks, Baby. I appreciate it." My five year-old little man. Even now, when I'm about to lose my cool, he knows how to soothe me.

He runs off to search for his sister around the stage of Hot Pockets just as his father, my gorgeous husband, walks in from the kitchen. He tosses his white towel on the bar, before wrapping his arms around me from behind.

I sigh and melt into his arms.

"Somethin' wrong, Chuck?" He starts kissing my temple then moves down my cheek until he stops at my neck.

I tilt my head to allow him better access. "Your daughter has gone missing again, that's all. And I don't have time to play this game with her. Not today. We've got too much to do. This is your fault, you know."

He throws his head back and I feel his laughter through his chest against my back. "How is our daughter playin' Hide and Seek _my_ fault?"

"It's very simple. Mason takes after me; Evie takes after you. Therefore, when she misbehaves, it is your fault."

He turns me to face him, keeping one arm around me while placing his other hand on my stomach. "What about this baby, then? Who do you think he or she will take after?" He smirks the same smirk that I fell in love with almost 7 years ago.

I can't help but smile as I cover his hand with mine. "It doesn't matter, because our kids are amazing and this baby will be no different." Yes, another baby. No one else knows, though. Edward and I are going to my OB-Gyn today for our "confirmation" appointment and we're both very excited.

Edward leans down and kisses my mouth firmly and I open my mouth so that our tongues can meet. Just as the kiss intensifies, we hear a loud gasp, followed by a "oooooh, Mommy and Daddy are kissin' again!"

We break apart to see Evie standing next to us, peeking through her tiny fingers that are covering her eyes. Edward quickly scoops her up and throws her in the air, making her high-pitched giggles fill the restaurant.

"Were you hidin' from your mama again, Evie Claire," Edward asks, after she calms down. Still in his arms, Evie drops her head so that her auburn curls bounce and fall forward, covering her face. "Maybe..." she answers.

"She was twirlin' on the stage with Uncle J's microphone again and singin' somethin' about 'if you like it you better put a ring on it'," Mason tells us as he sits on a bar stool.

Alice.

Evie pops her head up and exclaims, "But, Aunt Alwie says twirly skirts are meant for da stage and I'm wearin' my twirly skirt today!"

I knew it. After all these years, I knew I shouldn't allow my best friend to babysit. Even having two children of her own hasn't calmed her gangsta style. At least, she is teaching Evie Beyonce songs and not Lil' Kim songs.

"Yes, you are wearin' a twirly skirt today and you look beautiful, my angel, but you know the rules. You are allowed to play on the stage, but you may not play with the equipment. You could break something, or worse, get hurt," Edward gently scolds, before kissing her cheek.

"I'm sowwy, Daddy."

"Tell Mommy, too," Edward reminds her.

My little girl reaches for me, and I pull her to me, hugging her tight. "I'm sowwy, Mommy."

"It's important that you listen to our rules, Evie. We want to keep you safe, understand?" Evie nods her head against my chest, and I kiss her curls.

"Can we go to Mimi and Paw Paw's house now," Mason asks, obviously bored with this conversation.

"Sure, Buddy. I have today's deliveries taken care of for the restaurant and we have a full day ahead of us, so let's go!" Edward picks Mason up and throws him over his shoulder, making our son red-faced with laughter.

As we make the drive back to the plantation, I immediately relax. I love that my home and my family are here. We've been blessed to live so closely to Carlisle and Esme; they've been the best grandparents our children could ever ask for. Esme still runs her landscaping business, but Carlisle is now retired. He says he stopped working so that he can finally fulfill his dream of living the 'Parrothead lifestyle', but I know he really wants to be with his grandchildren as much as possible. He missed out on a lot of things when Edward and Emmett were younger, and this is his way of making up for it.

As soon as the car is in park, Mason and Evie are struggling to get out of their car seats. Edward and I unbuckle them and quickly move out of the way so that the kids don't knock us down in their haste to get inside the house. It is no secret how much they love their grandparents.

Esme opens the door before the kids can reach it and she wraps her arms around both of them. "Well, good mornin', my little sugar biscuits! I've missed you so much!"

"But, Mimi, we saw you last night, 'member," Mason asks.

"Of course, I remember! That doesn't mean I can't miss you! Now, come inside so I can feed you lots of sugar," she laughs and nudges the kids inside.

Naturally, we all gravitate to the kitchen, where there is coffee and cinnamon rolls waiting for us. I quickly grab a pastry and bite into it before grabbing a second one. I'm starving and I have no shame.

"Damn, Bella, save some for the rest of us, would ya," Emmett booms as he walks in.

Esme smacks him with a kitchen towel, as Evie yells,"You gotta put money in da jar!"

"I tell ya what, Evie Claire, how about I just put a downpayment in that swear jar of yours so that I'm covered for the rest of the day? Deal?"

"Okay, Uncle Em," my daughter agrees before turning her attention back to her cinnamon roll.

"Hey, Mase," Emmett greets his nephew, "you gonna help me and Paw Paw purge the crawfish while your mom and dad are in the city today?"

"What does purge mean?"

"It means we dump the crawfish in a big tub of salt water to make them throw up before we can boil them!"

"Cool!" is my son's answer, but my daughter looks up at Edward with her green eyes as wide as saucers. "Daddy, do I have to eat the cwawfish's frow up?"

Edward laughs and assures her. "No, baby, we don't eat the throw up. It's just to clean the crawfish so that we can eat them.

"Bella, you ready to go?" He holds his hand out to me and I take it, nodding my head, because my mouth is still full of cinnamon roll.

"Okay, kiddos, Daddy and I are leaving, but we'll be back as soon as we can. You be good for Mimi and Paw Paw, okay," I say as I hug and kiss them both.

"Where are you and Daddy going," Mason asks.

"Remember the book that Mommy and I made? We're going to meet some people who have bought it and want us to autograph it," Edwards answers.

"Are you famous now?"

I nudge my husband in his ribs. "No, Honey, we are not famous. This is just our way of thanking some of the people who were nice enough to buy our book."

"Save some crawfish for us!" Edward yells as we walk out of the door.

When I start walking towards our SUV, I feel my body being pulled aside. Looking up at my husband, I notice a playful twinkle in his eyes.

"What are you up to, Mr. Cullen?"

"Oh, nothin', Mrs. Cullen. I just thought we could take the Mustang on our drive into the city."

"The Mustang? Really? Are you sure Carlisle is okay with us taking it?"

"Of course, he is. Hop on in," he says as he opens the passenger door for me. I am beyond giddy as I sit down in the very same car I was in when Tyler drove me to my wedding. I freaking love this car.

Edward grabs my hand as soon as the car pulls onto the road and rubs his thumb across my knuckles. "So, Chuck, are you excited about the book signing?"

"Yeah, I am. I mean, it's so surreal, you know? I still can't wrap my brain around the fact that you and I have published a cookbook and people are actually buying it." I can't help the smile that stretches across my face as I think back on how our cookbook came to be.

It all started with a wedding gift from my dad. To say that I was stunned when Charlie gave me a spiral notebook filled with all of Grandma Swan's recipes is putting it mildly. All I could do was cry, as I slowly turned each page and saw my grandma's handwriting.

After we returned from our amazing honeymoon in Costa Rica, I would spend hours reading over the recipes and little side notes Grandma Swan had written. It gave me a peace I never expected, like I could finally reconcile my past with my present...and even my future.

It wasn't until the following spring that I finally started making some of her recipes. Some of the finished products were so pretty that I would take pictures of them. When Edward would join me in the kitchen to make some of his favorite foods, I took pictures of his creations, too. That lead to us creating new recipes and even combining our recipes to make the dishes even better.

Every thing we did in the kitchen, I took pictures of, until I had a huge collection.

It was Edward's suggestion that we take that collection and turn it into an actual cookbook. I was slow to agree, because there are a ton of cookbooks published and I didn't know if anyone would really want to buy ours. I finally agreed when Edward suggested that we print only a few copies to sell at Hot Pockets, just to see if anyone would be interested.

Surprisingly to me, our amateur version sold out within a week, convincing Edward that we had a hit on our hands. Shortly after, though, I found out I was pregnant, and once my hormones took over my sense of smell, I couldn't be in a kitchen until my third trimester. We decided to put the idea off for a while and just enjoy the last few months of my pregnancy and the birth of Mason.

And, enjoy, we did. Edward and I had so much fun preparing for Mason, and, believe me, my husband was sexy as hell when he put the crib together. Esme and Alice painted and decorated the room and threw me the most extravagant baby shower, where we received everything we could have ever wanted for Mason. 'Generous' doesn't even begin to describe our friends and family.

Mason was born in December and he was the best Christmas present in the world. Both of my parents flew down to visit and help with the baby. Mom stayed at our house, while my dad stayed at the plantation. Their divorce had been finalized for a year by this point, and they were getting along better than ever. It was great being able to spend time together without any awkwardness.

After Mason's first couple of months, Edward went back to working at Hot Pockets full-time. He's still co-owner of Bump n Grind, but he only goes to the club when he needs a break from country life, which isn't very often these days.

I slowly became interested in working again, but there was no way I was going to travel all over the country and leave my family behind. So, I only took assignments that would keep me away for the day. I just wasn't ready for anything more than that.

As much as I love photography, nothing compares to being a wife and mother. Naturally, Edward and I were ecstatic when we learned we were pregnant with Evie. Mason was only a year and a half old when we found out. It was perfect timing. Edward wanted our kids to be close like him and Emmett were. I wanted that, too...I wanted the big, close family that I never had.

The cookbook remained on hold indefinitely, while we adjusted to our newest family member. I had stopped taking assignments during my second pregnancy, but when Evie was a toddler, I started getting the itch to work again. Alice sent me a couple of jobs, but my heart just wasn't in it. I was looking through my photos from the past couple of years one day, when Alice suggested I open a gallery. I thought she was crazy at first, but the more I thought about it, the more intrigued I was with the idea.

I found a small building in downtown Baton Rouge to rent and filled it with photographs that I had already taken, while I took my time working on some new projects. I didn't want to limit myself to only one type of photography, so I tried every style and setting. Once I had a nice collection completed, I framed and hung my favorites and had my first gallery show.

It hasn't been a booming business, but it keeps me busy enough to satisfy my desire to create and work. Every once in awhile, I'll take a job for some locals...weddings, family pictures, things like that. I have two or three shows a year at the gallery. It's about all I can handle with everything else that's going on. We Cullens lead busy lives.

After 5 busy years of babies, food, and pictures; Edward and I decided to try the cookbook again. Alice set us up with a local publishing company and she, as well as Esme, helped us with the overall design and layout of the book. It took us a few months to perfect the dishes, descriptions, and pictures, but we are thrilled with the finished product.

It seems as though southeast Louisiana is excited about the book as well. Today is our first book signing, but we have others lined up over the next few weeks from New Orleans all the way to Lake Charles. I'm looking forward to traveling with Edward, just the two of us. I can't wait to be in a different hotel room every night sexing up my man, and if these pregnancy hormones don't calm down, we might have to get a room before we even get home.

I blow out a deep breath and fan my face with my hand before Edward asks, "Are you ok, baby? You need me to turn the A/C up for you?" He is so good to me. I mean, he was amazing when we got married, but he has only improved over the years. And, damn, is he gorgeous...and sexy...and hung... Ok, I have to get a grip. I cannot do an autograph signing smelling like a whore and I certainly can't go to my doctor's appointment with wet panties!

"Oh, um, yeah...thanks, Babe. These hormones are already driving me crazy! I can't wait to find out how far into the pregnancy I am, although, it's gonna make the summer unbearable...again." I laugh, thinking about how poorly we timed the first two pregnancies as well. Being big and pregnant during a Louisiana summer is not easy. Thank God for air conditioning...and iced tea.

When we arrive at the bookstore, we are taken to a closed-off area in the back and offered refreshments. I am not shy as I grab some bottles of water and a few cookies to have with me at the table. After the local newspaper has asked us a few questions and taken some pictures of Edward and me, it is time to take our places at the signing table. Walking to the table, markers in hand, we are greeted by a large crowd, holding our cookbook and clapping for us.

There are more people here than I thought there would be; the line making its way across the large store. I really didn't know what to expect before coming here, but as I look out across the crowd and see so many friendly, excited faces; I know that this is going to be a lot of fun.

We meet many different types of people: young newlyweds, single parents, and middle-aged couples. They all seem to really like our book, and I feel so proud to know we are sharing our family recipes with so many people. Edward and I are tickled to see people from French Settlement at the signing, as well. It means a lot to us that they would drive into the city and wait in line to see us, when they could have just gone to Hot Pockets any day of the week and we would've gladly signed their books.

I reach over every once in awhile and squeeze Edward's hand under the table. He returns each squeeze with a smile in my direction. His green eyes sparkle showing how happy he is. We don't really have to talk anymore to convey what we're feeling, and it's nice in situations like today.

As I am taking a big gulp of water, I notice a familiar figure walking up to our table. It takes every ounce of strength I have not to spit my water all over the book that is being handed to me by Tanya. I can't believe, after all of these years, that Tanya Fucking Denali has the nerve to bring her scrawny ass to our book signing. I take the book and look over at Edward. I can tell he is just as shocked as I am by the way his mouth is gaping open. I gently nudge his ribs with my elbow and he gives his head a quick shake before speaking.

"Hello, Tanya. This is a surprise. We haven't seen you since Alice and Jasper's wedding...um, how've you been?"

She gives us a natural, but blinding smile, when she answers. "I've been great, actually. I live here in Baton Rouge, but will be moving back to the country soon!"

Super.

Tanya continues. "I know it's been 6 years, but I want to say I'm sorry for how I behaved at the wedding. I thought I was in love with you, Edward, and I was desperate to make you mine. I was angry and jealous for a long time, but I realized the error of my ways when I truly fell in love with my fiance'."

What. The. Hell.

I clear my throat before responding, "Oh, wow, Tanya. You're engaged. That's great! I'm very happy for you and, of course, we accept your apology."

She lets out a large gust of air and laughs nervously. "Oh! Thank you! I was so nervous about coming here! I mean, I really love the cookbook, and wanted it signed, but I didn't know how you'd feel about me showin' up here after all this time. Mike, that's my fiance', really encouraged me to come here and try to make amends. I know we won't be BFFs or anything, but I'm relieved you've accepted my apology. Thank you."

I am stunned. Tanya still looks the same with her bleach-blond hair pulled into a tight ponytail, and her lips covered in fuchsia, so bright you see her mouth a mile before you see the rest of her face, but her personality has changed completely. I agree that it is unlikely we will ever be friends, but I am glad to not have her as an enemy.

Suddenly, Tanya shouts for the entire store to hear, "Mike! Mike, baby! Come and see Edward and Bella!"

Stunned doesn't even begin to describe how I feel when I see Mike "Couillon" Welch make his way to our table. I look up at his face and see the very same Mike who gets cussed out by Esme 3-4 times a year. And he's marrying Tanya. I can honestly say I didn't see that one coming.

After chatting with Tanya and Mike a few more minutes, Edward reminds me that we have our doctor appointment soon. We finish signing the books for the remaining people in the line, shake hands with the store manager, and head out the door. All in all, it was a great experience.

When our doctor's appointment is over, we run through a fast food restaurant for milkshakes before heading home. It was very exciting getting this pregnancy confirmed and we are anxious to share our news with our family and friends this evening.

As we drive out of the city, I turn in my seat to look at my husband. His smile has not left his face since we said goodbye to our doctor. He loves being a daddy and he's so damn good at it, I should just be pregnant all the time. Of course, this idea makes me think about what exactly has to happen in order to get pregnant and before too long, I am flushed all over again.

This time, though, I can't wait.

"Edward, pull over."

"Huh? What's wrong? You gotta pee?"

"No, Honey, my hormones are driving me insane right now and I need you."

"Need me to do what, Chuck?"

"Dammit, Edward, do I have to spell it out? I need you to fuck me!"

Edward's eyes are panicked as he looks around for a place to pull over. He finally finds a small field off of a side road and he parks next to an old abandoned barn. As soon as the engine stops, I throw my seatbelt off and lunge across the stick shift to kiss my husband. I shove my tongue into his mouth and my hands into his hair, desperate to get as close to him as I can.

When Edward pulls away, he is gasping for air. "Whoa, baby, you're suckin' my face off. I promise I'm gonna make you feel good, just slow down a little bit, okay?" He moves my hair away from my face and kisses me gently.

"I'm trying, Edward. I feel like I'm about to explode! I don't ever remember my hormones being this strong with the first two!"

"I'm not complainin'! Bella, you know I'll do anything I can to make you comfortable during this pregnancy. I'll feed you junk food and rub your feet whenever you want, but I have to admit, this is my favorite side effect."

"Baby, that's great, but I really need you naked now."

"Shit, Bella." He licks his lips before asking, "Wanna do it outside?"

"Yes! That's an excellent idea! I need some fresh air, too. So, that'll kill two birds with one stone."

I quickly get out of my side of the car, and run to greet Edward as he is closing his door. He smiles before grabbing my face and pulling me close enough to kiss. Our tongues dance their familiar, but still exciting routine, as I undo Edward's belt and jeans. I reach inside his pants and grab his cock, both of us moaning at the contact. Edward's mouth is licking and nipping down my neck, when he reaches under my skirt and pulls my soaked panties down.

He raises an eyebrow at me. "No foreplay?"

"Nope. No foreplay. Just fuck me good and hard, baby."

"Dammit, Bella, you know what it does to me to hear you talk like that."

I laugh as I push his pants and boxers down to his ankles. "Yes, I can see exactly what it does to you and I love it." Edward's cock is the best thing since sliced bread. And, yeah, I'm all about southern sayings now. "Now, put this thing to good use." I tell him, as I grip his shaft and stroke it gently.

Edward lifts my skirt to my waist, before he wraps his arms around me and picks me up. My legs naturally hug his waist as he presses me against the side of the car. Our bodies aligned with each other, Edward glides his cock inside of me without looking. We stay locked together for a moment, just soaking in the incredible feeling, until he finally starts thrusting. He grabs my ass and pulls my body to him, as he pushes into me. We are both pushing and pulling, kissing and biting, while our bodies slam together making the sexiest sound in the world.

"Oh, god...yes, Edward. Harder."

He pins my body to where he is, doing all the work now, and it is truly a glorious sight to see him thrusting so hard inside of me. I grab onto his shoulders and my head falls back as I feel myself getting closer to my orgasm.

"It's so good, baby. I'm gonna come so hard..." My orgasm rips through me and my body convulses, as I scream out into the open sky. Edward soon follows, grunting and panting in my ear. "Fuck!"

Once our breathing is back to normal and our bodies have calmed down, I look up at Edward and smile. I'm sure my face is showing my obvious relief, but I hope he sees the adoration in my eyes, as well.

This pregnancy is going to be a lot of fun, I can already tell.

I gently kiss his mouth. "That was amazing, Edward. Thank you."

"No need to thank me, Bella. Believe me, it was my pleasure, just as much as it was yours." He laughs and slowly puts me on the ground. He digs around the inside of the car and finds some napkins to clean up with. After I am back in my seat and buckled in, I feel so sated and relaxed that I fall asleep just as the car pulls back onto the highway.

We stop by our house to change into shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops, before heading to the plantation. I learned during my first crawfish boil to never wear anything that I don't mind getting ruined. With all of the peeling, sucking, and dipping that is involved with eating crawfish, you are bound to get dirty. In fact, the whole process sounds naughty now that I think about it.

Damn hormones.

Driving to the big house, Edward laughs as I start bouncing in my seat. I see that we are the last ones to arrive, which means we can make our special announcement as soon as possible.

Walking from the garage to the backyard, I immediately hear crying. It doesn't take long to recognize the cry as one belonging to my niece Camille. Emmett and Rose were married a year after Edward and I, but they waited a bit longer to add to their family. Carter, who is now 10, officially became a Cullen when Emmett signed the adoption papers during their wedding ceremony. It was a beautiful and moving moment that brought us all to tears.

I watch my brother-in-law scoop up his 2 year-old daughter and kiss her tears away. He is such a big teddy bear and Cami has him completely wrapped around her finger, just the way it should be.

My smile gets even wider when I spot my best friend, Alice, talking to Esme. She still works for Southern Living magazine, but she now lives here in French Settlement and flies into Birmingham twice a month. Jasper is standing next to her with their 4 month-old baby, Layla, asleep in the baby backpack he is wearing. I look around and see that their 4 year-old son, Calvin, is chasing my little Evie Claire as usual and Mason is helping Carlisle get the picnic tables ready for the crawfish.

Just when I think things couldn't be better, I see my dad come around the corner with his wife, Sue. Soon after Edward and I were married, Charlie decided he wanted to try living in the south again. He retired from his job in New York, moved to New Orleans, and started investing in local businesses. He is very passionate about rebuilding New Orleans and it was while he was volunteering with the St. Bernard Project that he met Sue. They've been together ever since.

I greet them both with a hug. "I'm so glad you are here!"

"Where else would I be, Bells?" My dad smiles at me. Our relationship is the best it has ever been. Renee has remarried, as well, but she and Phil still live in New York. We talk often and she loves visiting with the kids, but she wants to spend as much time as she can with her new husband. I understand and only want her to be happy.

After we have all gorged ourselves on boiled crawfish, corn, and potatoes, as well as, numerous desserts, the grown-ups kick back on the porch, while the kids play and get as dirty as possible. Edward taps my knee and, when I look up at him, he mouths "Well?"

It takes me a few seconds to remember that we have an announcement to make, but when I do, I suddenly jump up from my seat, making everyone turn to look at me.

I laugh, feeling the blush on my cheeks, and grab Edward's hand so that he is standing next to me.

"Now that we have your attention, we have some news we'd like to share."

I don't know why I'm so nervous all of a sudden, it's not like we haven't made this announcement before. I take a deep breath and Edward squeezes my hand before I shout out, "We're pregnant! Again!"

Cheers erupt all around us as our family moves to hug and kiss us. After a few minutes, Edward stops the celebration. "Wait, everybody! Hold on! That's not all!" Everyone gets quiet and looks at us with confused expressions, waiting to hear the rest of our news.

"We're having twins!"

The screams around us are deafening as we are assaulted with tighter hugs and messier kisses. I even see some tears throughout the group, and I find that I, too, am crying happy tears.

I never imagined my life being this way, so full and so happy. I'm completely surrounded by love and I hope I give it back as much as I receive it. I can barely remember my life in New York, because I didn't really start living until I took a job and traveled south. My life isn't perfect but it's perfect for me.

7 months later...

Our family has grown by four feet!

We are thrilled to announce the birth of our precious twins on November 12th.

Charlotte Grace

weighing 5 pounds 7 ounces

and

Garrett Christopher

weighing 5 pounds 13 ounces

They join big sister, Evangeline Claire, and big brother, Mason Paul, as well as our dog, Johnnie Walker, our cat, Frangelico, and our fish, Captain Morgan in making the Cullen family complete.

Thank you all for your love and support!

Sincerely,

Edward and Bella Cullen

**A/Ns:**

**Jiff and JK**: From the bottoms of our hearts, thank you so much for reading our story! Your love, support, and friendship means the world to us! Thank you for taking this journey with us. We hope you enjoyed your visit to the south!


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